WASHINGTON – The White House is tracking contacts after a cafeteria worker tested positive for coronavirus, three Trump administration officials told NBC News.
The cafeteria in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, or EEOB, closed this week after the case was discovered, authorities said. It was unclear how long the facility will remain closed, although some staff members were told that it could remain closed for two weeks.
Part of the White House complex, the Eisenhower Executive Office Building is located just across West Executive Avenue from the West Wing. It houses the offices of many senior White House staff, including officials from the coronavirus task force, the office of the vice president, the National Security Council, and various economic policy shops.
Unlike the White House Mess, which is located inside the west wing and run by the U.S. Navy, the cafeteria in neighboring EEOB is run by a government contractor. The White House referred questions about the situation to the General Services Administration, which maintains the building.
“The vendor implemented all the proper protocols, including masks, gloves, plastic protection at checkout, and no dinner service,” a GSA spokesperson told NBC News. “The White House Medical Unit has followed up on contacts and determined that the risk of retransmission is low.”
The GSA did not say how many employees could have potentially been exposed in the commissary or how long it will remain closed.
The case comes as President Trump more publicly acknowledges the growing spread of the coronavirus in the United States, even as he continues to downplay concerns about his administration that mismanages the pandemic.
“We are working with very talented people, very bright people and everything is going to work and it is working,” Trump said Wednesday.
Several White House officials and others very close to the President have previously tested positive for coronavirus, which has led to search efforts for contacts by the White House in the past. Although the White House recently ended regular temperature checks for everyone who enters White House grounds, those who approach the President are still undergoing rapid COVID-19 tests at the White House.
