White House staff ordered to wear masks

White House personnel were ordered to wear masks when entering the west wing after two aides tested positive for coronavirus.

The White House personnel office has said that staff should cover their faces at all times, except when sitting at their desks, socially distant from their colleagues.

The directive comes after an assistant to Vice President Mike Pence and a valet for President Trump fell ill.

Trump said he needed the policy.

However, appearing without a mask in the Rose Garden for a press conference on Monday, the president said he did not need to follow the directive because he was staying “away from everyone,” and downplayed White House infections.

“We have hundreds of people a day arriving at the White House” every day, he said. “I think we are doing a good job holding it back.”

Three members of the White House coronavirus task force were isolated for two weeks after possible exposure to the disease.

They include Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has become the public face of the fight against the virus in the United States.

Pence’s press secretary Katie Miller, the wife of Trump’s aide Stephen Miller, tested positive on Friday.

His diagnosis came after a valet for the President of the United States, Donald Trump, was confirmed to have the disease.

Trump shrugged at the White House spread, saying that “basically one person” had contracted the virus and that people in contact had tested negative.

• Mike Pence’s assistant tests positive for coronavirus

What else did President Trump say?

Trump said more funds would be made available to increase testing in the states.

The government will provide $ 11 billion (£ 8.9 billion) to states to meet the testing targets this month. States were asked how many tests they hope to conduct in May, and will be given supplies to match the targets.

Senior White House officials who come into regular contact with Trump are being screened daily for the coronavirus.

Pressured by journalists about when all Americans could expect to have access to the tests, Trump said: “If someone wants to be tested right now, they can be tested.” The claim is highly disputed.

Donald Trump held his press conference to discuss the growing number of coronavirus tests available to Americans, but it was the impact of the pandemic at the White House that became the focus of attention.

At an event held at the Rose Garden last week, none of the attendees, including Vice President Mike Pence, wore masks. Four days later, Pence, regularly on the president’s side, was noticeably absent, as his press secretary had tested positive for the virus days ago. All attendees, including presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner, were wearing masks, following a directive requiring them for all White House personnel.

It was an order that applied to everyone, that is, except the president, who continued to reject protection.

This made a surprising contrast, as Trump spoke of “pent-up demand” and “enthusiasm” in the US. USA For reopening businesses and easing government-mandated social distance restrictions, while denying that the system that protects White House staff from infection has been broken down

“We have a lot of people coming and going,” he said. “We are running a country.”

It underscores a fundamental challenge facing the United States in the coming days. Can the American economy reopen and recover when even the White House is not secure?

What is happening with the tests?

For weeks, Trump has tried to encourage the easing of blockade measures across the United States, arguing that it was time to get back to work amid the dire economic news.

However, public health experts have warned that easing the restrictions too soon could lead to a resurgence of transmissions and a second wave of coronavirus.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). USA They have issued guidelines suggesting that blockages should not be alleviated unless a region has seen 14 days of declining infections and can perform 30 tests for every 1,000 residents.

According to the CovidTracking Project, a charity, the US USA They performed an average of 248,000 tests daily in the first week of May.

According to the White House, the number has risen to 300,000 per day, but leading public health researchers say at least 900,000 tests are needed daily before the United States reopens.

Starting this week, the US USA They have evaluated only 2.75% of its 330 million inhabitants, and no state has evaluated 10% of the residents. In more than a dozen states where closure measures have been relaxed, including Texas, South Carolina, and Arizona, less than 2% of residents have been evaluated.

Last week, the White House rejected CDC’s reopening guide, but some states are adopting the standards.