TWH Journalists Are Testing Positive for Covid-19

A widening coronavirus outbreak at the White House has left members of the media scrambling to find out if they, too, are infected.

CNN reports three journalists who work at the White House tested positive on Friday, according to a series of memos from the White House Correspondents Association.

"Given these positive cases, the president's diagnosis and positive cases among other members of the White House staff, a number of White House journalists are self-isolating pending diagnostic testing," the correspondents association said in a email to members Friday night.

A White House staffer who sits in the "lower press" area of the West Wing also received a confirmed positive result on Friday morning.

Reporters and White House spokespeople work together in cramped quarters, often meeting the definition of close contact.

A spokesperson for The Washington Post said, "We are working to identify Post journalists who may have come in contact with White House officials recently, to ensure that our colleagues are tested rapidly and fully supported."

A person familiar with the matter at CBS News said the network is contact tracing and following company procedure for testing and quarantining, depending on the possible exposure.

And a spokesperson for NBC News said, "NBC News and MSNBC are following contact tracing guidelines as set forth by the CDC and the NBCUniversal Medical team and some employees will be self-quarantining out of an abundance of caution. We will also continue to follow WHCA guidelines on safely working and reporting from the White House."

The correspondents association said "we can't stress enough the importance of mask-wearing, social distancing and common sense, especially on the White House complex."

"Additionally," the board said, "we are again asking journalists who are not in the pool and do not have an enclosed workspace to refrain from working out of the White House at this time."