White House suddenly orders 'mandatory' COVID-19 testing for presidential staff

White House employees will now be subject to mandatory testing for COVID-19, an official said on Monday.

In a statement to CNN's Jim Acosta, the unnamed White House official said that staffers working near President Donald Trump would be forced to undergo randomized testing.

"As part of our ongoing efforts to protect the health and safety of the entire White House Complex, randomized testing of Executive Office of the President staff, which has been ongoing for several months, will become mandatory rather than voluntary," the official said.

White House employees reportedly received an email Monday morning with a stern warning.

"Failure to report to testing will be considered a refusal to test," the email said.