The Coronavirus pandemic is showing no signs of abetting with the total infection count crossing well over four million across the globe. The highest number of cases have come from supposedly the most powerful nation on the planet—the United States of America. The response of USA in the wake of COVID-19 has been haphazard and toothless to say the least. The Trump administration has on numerous occasions played down the threat of the virus and prioritized the economy.
While Trump hoped that USA emerged into a nation recovering from the pandemic last week, instead the pandemic came to him and it looks like the virus has finally made inroads to the power corridors of USA.
The White House has seen rising coronavirus cases in the recent weeks and if precautions are not put into effect, the White House could soon become the Corona House.
Katie Miller, Vice President Mike Pence’s Press Secretary and one of his top aides had tested positive for coronavirus last week. And since the news broke out, the entire White House has been thrown into a frenzy. Attempts to conduct contact tracing for Katie have so far proven futile as the authorities could not identify where she contacted the virus from— potentially leaving the spreader of the virus out on the loose and in the worst-case scenario–loose in the White House.
A member of the US Navy who serves as one of President Trump’s personal valets has also tested positive for coronavirus. The valets are members of an elite military unit dedicated to the White House and often work in close proximities with the President and first family.
Trump, a self-proclaimed germophobe was visibly upset when he was informed that the valet had tested positive. It appeared that the valet’s contacts with other members of the West Wing staff were limited, but there remain some concerns among other valets and staff.
Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her staff has also seen a close brush with the deadly respiratory virus last week. Ivanka’s personal assistant tested positive for coronavirus, making her the third White House staff member to be infected from COVID-19. The assistant works in personal capacity with Ivanka but reports stated that she had been teleworking for the last two months and therefore president’s daughter has not contacted the virus.
On Monday, staffers were advised in a memo they would be required to wear a face-covering when entering the West Wing. The memo said face coverings would be available in the White House medical office and staffers are required to follow social distancing guidelines.
This comes as a welcome change because previously, masks were an uncommon sight at the White House. Most certainly the reason has been President Donald Trump who has on several occasions iterated that he cannot envision himself wearing a mask in public.
As a result most of Trump’s aides have been following his stubbornness despite guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommending wearing masks in environments where social distancing is difficult
The arrival of coronavirus to the White House and specifically West Wing has only served as a cold reminder that it cannot be taken lightly. It has taken more than 83,000 American lives and turned a once-hot economy to ice.
Even the nightly deep cleanings, regular testing and a lot of wishful thinking on the part of Donald Trump could not prevent the virus from arriving on White House and Trump’s doorstep. And if he still does not get out of his bubble, the results can be catastrophic for the American public.