Three reporters working at the White House tested positive on Friday, according to a series of memos from the White House Association of Journalists.
A White House staffer sitting in the West Wing’s “Lower Press” area also received a confirmed positive result Friday morning.
Reporters and White House spokesmen work together in spoiled quarters, always fulfilling the definition of close contact.
So there is now widespread concern among White House reporters about who opened up.
Friday’s first memo, received by CNN Business, said members of the press corps were being notified “so you can make informed judgments.”
The late morning memo said “all the other journalists tested today have tested negative.”
The follow-up message at 1:33 a.m. is the word of another case of a sick journalist.
“We are writing to let you know that another member of our press corps has tested positive for COVID-19 today,” the memo said. “The man was last at the White House on Saturday and then traveled to Pennsylvania on Air Force One. The man began experiencing COVID-19 symptoms yesterday.”
The third memo, at 3:35 p.m., stated that a third member of the Press Corps had tested positive.
The man was at the White House last Saturday and Sunday and “began to experience minor symptoms late Wednesday.”
The CNN business has reached out to major news networks and newspapers to ask about the precautions they take.
A Washington Washington Post spokesman said: “We are working to identify Post reporters who have been in contact with White House officials recently to ensure that our colleagues are quickly tested and fully supported.”
“We can’t stress the importance of wearing masks, social distance and common sense, especially at the White House complex,” the correspondent told the Associated Press.
“Furthermore,” the board said, “we are again asking reporters who are not in the pool and do not have a closed workspace to avoid working outside the White House at this time.”
During the Covid-19 epidemic, the correspondent organization has taken a more active position than the Trump administration and has encouraged journalists covering the administration to be wary of common sense.
CNN Business’ Oliver Darcy contributed to the report.
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