WASHINGTON – With coronavirus exposure arriving in the West Wing, the White House is taking extra precautions to ensure the safety of the president and his staff after two administration aides tested positive for the coronavirus.
President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence will be tested daily for the virus, as will every staff member in close proximity to them. White House guests will be tested, workspaces will undergo regular deep cleaning, and staff will follow social distancing guidelines, undergo daily temperature checks and have their symptom histories reviewed, White House spokesman Judd Deere said Sunday.
“The president’s physician and White House operations continue to work closely to ensure every precaution is taken to keep the president, first family and the entire White House complex safe and healthy at all times,” Deere said.On Sunday, Pence’s office denied media reports that he is in self-isolation as a top Navy admiral announced he would go under self-quarantine.
Adm. Michael Gilday, chief of Naval Operations, had contact with a family member who has tested positive for coronavirus, a Defense Department spokesman said. Gilday tested negative but will be quaranting this week, the spokesman said.
Gen. Joseph Lengyel, chief of the National Guard Bureau, tested positive for coronavirus Saturday afternoon, but a subsequent test Saturday was negative, the spokesman said. “He will undergo a third test on Monday morning to confirm his negative status,” the spokesman said.
Pence’s spokeswoman, Katie Miller, tested positive for coronavirus last week, and media reports Sunday said the vice president was self-quarantining as a result. But his office denied that was the case.
“Vice President Pence will continue to follow the advice of the White House Medical Unit and is not in quarantine,” Pence spokesman Devin O’Malley said. “Additionally, Vice President Pence has tested negative every single day and plans to be at the White House (Monday).”
Back at the White House, the extra safety steps in placecome after a chaotic week in which aides to Trump and Pence tested positive for the coronavirus and three members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force entered quarantine after being close to someone diagnosed with the disease.
A Navy valet who had been in the same room with Trump on Tuesday tested positive last week for the virus, which has already killed about 80,000 Americans. Pence spokeswoman also tested positive on Friday, prompting tests for six other Pence staffers who had been in contact with her. All six staffers tested negative, the administration said.
