New White House Requires COVID Face Mask Testing To Protect Joe Biden



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The incoming administration is planning extraordinary measures to protect its most prized product, Joe Biden, including requiring daily COVID testing of employees and N95 masks at all times, according to new guidelines sent to some inbound employees on Tuesday.

Why is this important: The elected president is 78 years old and therefore at high risk for the virus and its worst effects, despite having received the vaccine. While President Trump’s team was nonchalant about COVID protocols – leading to multiple episodes of super-spraying – the new rules will apply to all White House aides in “close proximity to constituents.”

  • In addition to protecting Biden, he and his team want to model best practices and insist that West Wing officials meet the highest standards. Biden calls on the nation to “hide away” for the first 100 days of his administration.

The big picture: The advice has been sent to new staff members who will have a “closeness” to “principals” in the White House, generally defined as heads of departments like the National Security Council and the National Economic Council.

  • The email also hints at the prospect that some West Wing staff will soon be eligible for a vaccine. “For those of you who have not yet received your first vaccine,” the guide says, “we will follow up in the next few days with information on how to do this.”
  • The guidelines will have its greatest impact in the West Wing, where staff members readily accept tight spaces for proximity to the Oval Office. The email asks staff members to stay 6 feet from each other at all times. In effect, this means that single employees will work in offices which usually have seating areas.
  • Fifteen-minute rapid antigen tests will be performed in the White House medical office, and assistants who must be in the White House regularly will be asked to sign up on a testing schedule.

“The Biden White House will follow public health guidelines that ensure we ensure the safety of all staff during the pandemic,” said a transition official at Axios.

The bottom line: The White House and Eisenhower’s Executive Office Building will start at reduced capacity, as many of Biden’s assistants work from home during administration opening days.

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