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The growing coronavirus cluster linked to Donald Trump is sending waves of intense anxiety among staff, journalists and officials who spend much of their time in the White House and in the city of Washington DC in general.
The West Wing has reportedly been turned into a “ghost town” amid complaints that the White House has been unable to trace potential contacts of Trump and his infected aides, with many now working from home even as the president urged Americans to “not be afraid of Covid.”
That has left behind a reduced staff of around 100 butlers, ushers, cleaners, janitors and maintenance workers, who are often older and come from groups at higher risk of developing severe symptoms of the virus, including a body of butlers that has historically been almost exclusively black.
Members of the Secret Service, who protect the president, have also come into the limelight with some current and former members complaining anonymously that they felt Trump had endangered service members when they accompanied him on. a controversial “driving” stunt out of Walter Reed Hospital.
A still contagious Trump returned to the White House on Monday and defiantly removed his mask upon entering the building as complaints mounted inside about the lack of precautions taken by the president and his entourage.
Journalists exposed to employees who tested positive, and even residents of apartment blocks where infected staff members have gone to isolate, have also complained of a lack of information.
Many staff members say privately they only learned of the positive tests through media reports and several were exposed, without their knowledge, to people the White House already knew could be contagious. The White House administration office took until Sunday night, almost three full days after Trump’s diagnosis, to send a note to all staff to say that people with symptoms should “stay home and not come to to work”.
Reports within the White House paint a picture of workers frightened by the lack of information about when and how certain officials were infected, with many blaming the White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows for the information gap.
Others have pointed to the fact that Trump and his medical team have refused to reveal when the president received his last negative test, making it impossible for many to know if they had contact with him in a period when he was potentially contagious.
Kate Andersen Brower, who wrote The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House, said she recently spoke with three former employees who had expressed concerns about the health of current workers but were too afraid to speak in public.
The White House now has two coronavirus patients being treated at the scene, the president and the first lady, within a group that some have noted includes more cases than all of New Zealand.
The focus of concern shifted to staff at the White House residence, many of whom have worked for decades and are notorious for their discretion, after complaints emerged Sunday about Trump’s apparent disregard for members’ health. Secret Service who accompanied him on his trip. to thank the followers.
Several of those who spoke to the Associated Press expressed concern about the arrogant attitude the White House had adopted when it came to masks and distancing. Colleagues, they said, were angry but felt there was little they could do.
One, speaking after White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany tested positive on Monday, said he felt he and some of his colleagues had saved themselves just a measure of good luck.
Anxiety is also driven by the feeling among White House employees that there are only limited efforts to trace the contacts of Trump and other infected staff members while not sharing information on who has tested positive.
The White House medical unit, which has about 30 employees, is led by Trump’s staff physician, Dr. Sean Conley, who has drawn criticism for his vague and sometimes evasive public statements about the president’s health.
According to the New York Times, citing an unidentified official, the White House had decided not to trace the contacts of guests and staff members who were at the Rose Garden celebration 10 days ago for Trump’s supreme court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, where at least eight people, including the president, may have been infected.
Instead, the source told the newspaper that efforts had been limited to notifying people who were in close contact with Trump in the two days leading up to his Covid diagnosis Thursday night.
“This is a total abdication of responsibility by the Trump administration,” Dr. Joshua Barocas, a public health expert at Boston University, told the newspaper. “The idea that we are not engaging the Centers for Disease Control to trace contacts at this point seems like a massive threat to public health.”
While Trump will reportedly work from the White House Map Room, rather than the Oval Office, interacting only with staff in personal protective equipment, the president’s prolonged refusal, and many in his family and inner circle. to wear masks routinely and comply with social norms. The distancing rules have sparked skepticism about the deals.
White House spokesman Judd Deere said the administration was taking all necessary precautions to protect not only the first family, but all staff members working at the complex, in accordance with guidelines and best practices. from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Agencies contributed to this report
