Two of the top officials on the Coronavirus Task Force are avoiding the White House after a potential COVID-19 hot spot impacting America's executive branch.
"The White House on Saturday continued to scramble to deal with the fallout from two aides testing positive for the coronavirus, as officials who were potentially exposed responded differently with some senior members of the pandemic task force self-quarantine while others planned to continue to go to work," The Washington Postreported Saturday.
"Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield, both task force members, said they are self-quarantining or teleworking for two weeks after exposure to a coronavirus case at the White House," the newspaper reported. "But several administration officials said White House staffers were encouraged to come into the office by their supervisors, and that aides who travel with President Trump and Vice President Pence would not stay out for 14 days, the recommended time frame to quarantine once exposed to the virus."
A military valet and Vice President Mike Pence press secretary Katie Miller have both tested positive for COVID-19. Miller's husband, White House advisor Stephen Miller, has reportedly tested negative, though the disease has a lengthy incubation period.
"But the nervousness and concern among White House staffers became more palpable on Saturday, according to people familiar with the matter who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the tensions. Now that Redfield and Hahn are both staying away, some officials said they don’t know if they should keep going to work at the White House," the newspaper reported. "Staffers who had potentially been in contact with Miller were still getting calls on Saturday from officials trying to gauge their exposure to the virus, according to one person who received a call."
"The FDA said late Friday that Hahn began to self-quarantine for two weeks after being exposed to an individual who tested positive. A senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss the matter, said the individual in question was Miller, who was present at task force meetings attended by Hahn and other health officials," the newspaper added.