Trump Orders West Wing Guests, Staff to Wear Masks

Memo says face covering required for entry
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted May 11, 2020 5:01 PM CDT
Mask Now Required to Enter West Wing
A woman wearing a face mask walks past the White House.   (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

The White House is requiring everyone who enters the West Wing to wear a mask or face covering after coronavirus scares near President Trump. A memo sent to all staff outlined the new directive Monday after two staffers last week tested positive for COVID-19. The memo says: "We are requiring everyone who enters the West Wing to wear a mask or facial covering." Staff will be allowed to remove their face coverings if they sit at least six feet apart from their colleagues. The directive is meant to protect the president, who has refrained from wearing a mask in public and in private, the AP reports. Trump confirmed Monday that he was behind the directive, the BBC reports. "Yes I did, I required that," he said. (More White House stories.)

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