Some White House aides have reverted to wearing masks as COVID-19 cases are notched on the executive campus, including Vice President Kamala Harris.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki defended the administration’s handling of the virus around President Joe Biden, who is 79 and more at risk of severe symptoms or complications.
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“You’re on a regular testing cadence around here,” she told reporters Tuesday. “We also take the step to socially distance in meetings as frequently as we can, and also a number of us have chosen to wear masks in meetings as well just as an additional step and protocol.”
Select White House staffers and reporters have chosen to continue wearing masks amid the omicron and BA.2 variant surge despite Washington, D.C., no longer requiring face coverings inside.
But Harris’s positive test result Tuesday prompted a fresh round of questions for the White House about whether the administration is resigned to Biden contracting the virus as well. Biden was not deemed to be a close contact of Harris and tested negative on Monday.
The White House’s new COVID-19 task force coordinator, Dr. Ashish Jha, told reporters in his first in-person briefing, “It is going to be hard to ensure that no one gets COVID in America.”
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“I wouldn’t say it’s just a matter of time,” he said. “But, of course, it is possible that the president, like any other American, could get COVID.”
