Melania Trump has, so far, been the White House’s face of safety guidelines to prevent coronavirus. Aside from appearing in several PSA videos about healthy practices amid the pandemic, the first lady has reportedly been leading stringent protocols in their official residence. Her coronavirus prevention rules reportedly include having full-time staffers get tested frequently as they continue to work in the White House.
Melania Trump: How the FLOTUS is keeping the White House safe amid COVID-19 pandemic
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention started advising people to wear face coverings in public in early April. This was immediately echoed by Trump in following PSA videos and social media posts, including a tweet where she is photographed wearing a face mask.
CNN reports that Trump has also been the main proponent of safety guidelines against coronavirus in the White House, especially in the executive residence and in the East Wing, where her offices are located. Around the same time, CDC released its advice on face masks and coverings; the first lady started to require White House staff to do the same along with observing social distancing.
Trump reduced the number of White House staff working full-time amid the pandemic to just around 90. Their temperatures are regularly checked, especially before entering the premises. Aside from having to wear masks all the time, they are reportedly getting tested “at an increasing frequency.” The latter is especially applied to the 12 people working closely with Trump in the East Wing. Non-essential members of the staff, on the other hand, have been asked to stay home and report to work on an on-call basis.
Melania Trump coronavirus response: PSAs, care packages, and free lunch
Over the course of the federal social distancing policy, Trump repeatedly addressed the public to reiterate health and safety guidelines. Trump also decided to cancel this year’s Easter Egg Roll in the White House due to the pandemic. But she appeared in another video to read an Easter story for children.
Under Trump’s Be Best initiative, her office has sent care packages to select hospitals in various states. She has also sent free packed lunches to essential workers and frontliners in different locations.