Pence tells White House staff to avoid physical contact

Vice President Mike Pence sent White House staff an email Saturday afternoon recommending “social distancing” and to “avoid physical contact” to keep themselves and their colleagues safe from the novel coronavirus.

Why it matters: This is the first staff-wide email Pence has sent across the complex during his time as vice president — and is the latest sign the White House is shifting its posture against the pandemic.

• As recently as Thursday, Pence, who is leading the President Trump’s task force to combat COVID-19, told CNN he was still shaking hands with people at the White House.
• On Friday before the nation’s TV cameras, Trump repeatedly shook hands with industry CEOs during a live press conference in the Rose Garden.
• But on Saturday the president and his team began modeling different behavior — in line with public health official recommendations. Trump tweeted “SOCIAL DISTANCING!“, said he’d finally been tested for the coronavirus, suggesting that people should be cautious about shaking hands.
• Also on Saturday, for the first time a White House physician scanned journalists’ foreheads with a thermometer before they could join the White House press briefing. Continue reading.