The White House told staff to wear masks or facial coverings when entering the West Wing.
Officials will not be required to wear masks at their desks. The directive, which came in a newly delivered memo, will not apply to President Trump, who has resisted wearing a mask.
Trump said he is reluctant to wear one, telling reporters in April: “Wearing a face mask as I greet presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens — I don’t know. Somehow, I don’t see it for myself.”
Two White House officials tested positive for the coronavirus last week: a valet to the president and a spokesperson for Vice President Mike Pence, Katie Miller.
“It is scary to go to work,” senior economic adviser Kevin Hassett told CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday about the two cases. “I was not part of the White House in March. I think that I’d be a lot safer if I was sitting at home instead of going to the West Wing.”
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