Virtual inauguration after new Florida mayor gets Covid

ST. PETERSBURG: The incoming mayor of a major Florida city will take office in a

virtual inauguration ceremony

after testing positive for

Covid-19

on Monday, officials said.

Ken Welch

was scheduled to be sworn in Thursday on the steps of City Hall as St. Petersburg's first Black mayor, but that ceremony has been canceled to follow quarantine guidelines from the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

, according to a news release.

Welch, 57, was vaccinated early last year and received a booster in November, officials said. He first tested positive for Covid-19 Monday morning using a home kit. A

PCR test

later in the day was also positive.

"Let this serve as a reminder to all of us to get vaccinated and follow CDC guidelines to minimize the spread of Covid-19," Welch said in a statement. "While this is disappointing, I am incredibly thankful that my current symptoms are not serious, and I keep in my thoughts and prayers all the families who have lost so much more to this pandemic."

Welch said he will work from home until he is cleared from isolation. He expects to begin working from City Hall next Monday.

Welch is replacing Mayor

Rick Kriseman

, who is leaving office because of term limits.