Kristin Urquiza, a guest of former Vice President Joe Biden at the presidential debate on Tuesday, said she tested negative for COVID-19 on Sunday after she ripped President Donald Trump for potentially exposing her and others in attendance at the debate in Cleveland.

Urquiza, who grew up in the Maryvale neighborhood of Phoenix and whose father died in June following a weeks-long battle with complications caused by COVID-19, said she witnessed Trump’s wife, first lady Melania Trump, and other family members sitting in the debate hall without masks at Case Western Reserve University.

On Sunday, Urquiza told The Arizona Republic that she woke up feeling congested with a runny nose and watery eyes, but noted that she has a history of allergies and has asthma and said it may be due to the wildfires in California since she lives in San Francisco.

Urquiza, 39, also posted a video to her Marked By Covid account on Twitter announcing that she took a test for COVID-19 and would let the public know the results once she received them. 

Plans to quarantine for 14 days

At around 11:45 a.m. Sunday, Urquiza took a rapid COVID-19 test and received her negative results within 45 minutes, she said.

Even though she tested negative, Urquiza said she still plans to honor the 14-day quarantine because “it’s important to take every precaution,” she said.

“Sometimes there’s, as you know, false negatives, and I just couldn’t imagine being a COVID carrier and passing it on to someone knowing that this is a deadly disease.”

COVID-19 is not a disease to “be played around with,” Urquiza said, adding that she has been disappointed by Republican leaders’ actions after they were either exposed to Trump or tested positive for the virus themselves but were not quarantining for 14 days.

Attorney General William Barr attended the White House event Sept. 26 at which Trump announced his Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett. After that event, at least seven attendees have tested positive for COVID-19.

“Bill Barr, for example, has publicly said he’s not going to quarantine because he’s not, you know, he’s not exhibiting any symptoms and not feeling bad and that’s just completely irresponsible, it’s beyond irresponsible, in my opinion it’s criminal,” Urquiza said. “Leaders in the Republican party have been playing with fire, and the public is getting burned.”

Barr tested negative on Friday and Saturday, according to the New York Times.

Everyone who is exposed to COVID-19, including people who run the government, need to honor “the very simple” public safety measures, Urquiza said.

Urquiza spoke at DNC

Before the debate, Urquiza also spoke at the Democratic National Convention and has blamed Trump and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey for failing to adequately lead earlier in the pandemic.

Since her father died, Urquiza has become a high-profile Biden surrogate who seeks to contrast Biden’s approach to the disease with that of Trump’s.

In a statement Urquiza released Friday, she said Trump and the White House and his campaign aides have needlessly exposed Americans to COVID-19.

“Trump has no regard for human life,” Urquiza’s said in her statement. She also condemned Ducey’s response to the pandemic in Arizona, doubling down on her criticism of his decisions to lift shelter-in-place mandates and telling Arizonans it was safe to resume activities like eating out.

Urquiza’s father, Mark Anthony Urquiza, died on June 30 when he was 65 years old from complications due to COVID-19. He was born and raised in Tolleson and leaves behind his daughter, Kristin; his life partner, Brenda; and many siblings, nieces and nephews.

Kristin invited Ducey to her father’s funeral, but he had not responded to the invitation by July 8.

Republic reporter Yvonne Wingett Sanchez contributed to this article.

Reach the reporter at [email protected] or on Twitter at @Audreyj101.

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