Despite the fact that President Trump — along with Melania Trump and senior adviser Hope Hicks — tested positive for COVID-19, the White House will not be making any changes to its virus protocol, The Associated Press reports. "Our standard protocol is CDC best practices and recommendations," a White House official told Axios. "Facial coverings are recommended but not required … good hygiene is strongly recommended and social distancing is encouraged."
The White House will also not be changing its current testing system, despite the fact that it did not detect Hicks' infection on the day that she began to experience symptoms of the virus. This is perhaps unsurprising, given top officials' open disdain for risk-reduction measures — Mark Meadows, Trump's chief of staff who recently traveled with both Trump and Hicks, addressed reporters without wearing a mask on Friday morning. COVID-19 is "contagious ... regardless of whatever protocol we have," he reasoned.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Why au pairs might become a thing of the pastUnder The Radar Brexit and wage ruling are threatening the 'mutually beneficial arrangement'
-
'A direct, protracted war with Israel is not something Iran is equipped to fight'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Today's political cartoons - April 17, 2024Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons - political anxiety, jury sorting hat, and more
-
Texas dairy worker gets bird flu from infected cowSpeed Read The virus has been spreading among cattle in Texas, Kansas, Michigan and New Mexico
-
Dengue hits the Americas hard and earlySpeed Read Puerto Rico has declared an epidemic as dengue cases surge
-
US bans final type of asbestosSpeed Read Exposure to asbestos causes about 40,000 deaths in the U.S. each year
-
Seattle Children's Hospital sues Texas over 'sham' demand for transgender medical recordsSpeed Read Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton subpoenaed records of any Texan who received gender-affirming care at the Washington hospital
-
Afghanistan has a growing female suicide problemSpeed Read The Taliban has steadily whittled away women's and girls' rights in Afghanistan over the past 2 years, prompting a surge in depression and suicide
-
US life expectancy rose in 2022 but not to pre-pandemic levelsSpeed Read Life expectancy is slowly crawling back up
-
Vallance diaries: Boris Johnson 'bamboozled' by Covid scienceSpeed Read Then PM struggled to get his head around key terms and stats, chief scientific advisor claims
-
An increasing number of dog owners are 'vaccine hesitant' about rabiesSpeed Read A new survey points to canine vaccine hesitancy
