White House Sends Memo to Aides Urging Them to Work From Home: WaPo
TOO CLOSE TO HOME
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The White House management office has sent a memo to staffers urging them to “work remotely” and “practice maximum telework” after two aides tested positive for COVID-19, The Washington Post reports. The memo was reportedly sent out Friday, the same day news broke that the vice president’s spokeswoman, Katie Miller, had tested positive for the new coronavirus. A staffer who served as a personal valet to President Trump also tested positive earlier this week. The positive test results have sparked concerns about the virus potentially spreading in the West Wing, and White House staffers were said to be fielding calls on Saturday from officials trying to figure out how serious their exposure to the virus was.
Both Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield subsequently announced they would be self-quarantining as a precaution. But some White House staffers have reportedly been urged to work from the office, and aides who are frequently in close contact with the vice president and president are reportedly not planning to self-quarantine for the recommended 14-day period.