Dr. Fauci is headed for self-isolation -- a tweaked version, that is -- after a White House staffer tested positive for coronavirus ... but he's only doing so as a precaution.
The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases will go into what he describes as a "modified' quarantine, which means he'll be working remotely from home for 14 days with a mask on -- but might come and go to his office as needed, albeit solo.
Fauci says he's made "low-risk" contact with the staffer, and therefore, won't go into full quarantine ... unlike two other members of Trump's coronavirus task force, who've already gone into full lockdown themselves. Fauci says he's currently negative for COVID-19.
Earlier last week, it was revealed that VP Mike Pence's press secretary, Katie Miller, had coronavirus -- but it's not clear if she's the one everyone's going into quarantine over. Of course, Trump's own valet driver has also tested positive, and reports of about a dozen Secret Service agents dedicated to protecting Trump and others have also contracted it.
In other words ... the White House is starting to feel like a biohazard zone to some -- including old Tony here -- and they wanna steer clear for a while. Probably a good idea.