White House Directs Staff to Wear Masks at All Times Inside West Wing

WASHINGTON—The White House directed staff members to wear face masks at all times inside the building except when sitting at their own desks, administration officials said Monday. However, President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are not expected to do so.

The official guideline directive came after two officials in the West Wing tested positive for coronavirus eight days ago, and the same day the White House had said it is planning to send $11 billion—in funds allocated by the $2 trillion stimulus legislation Congress passed in March—to states, territories and tribes to help expand their testing capacities, which public-health experts have said is key to sending Americans back to work safely. Mr. Trump has insisted for weeks—and again on Monday—that any American who wants a test can get a test, which experts say isn’t the case.

The order to wear masks in the West Wing marks a sharp turn for White House officials who have largely resisted doing so in both public and private as the pandemic unfolded.

Mr. Trump has said he is reluctant to wear one, telling reporters in April: “I think wearing a face mask as I greet presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens, I don’t know—somehow, I don’t see it for myself. I just don’t.” Mr. Pence recently drew criticism for not wearing a mask during a visit to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., which asked visitors to wear face coverings.

The memo also directs officials to restrict in-person visits to the White House unless they’re necessary, one of the officials said.

“We are requiring everyone who enters the West Wing to wear a mask or facial covering,” the memo says, according to a copy viewed by The Wall Street Journal. “Unless you absolutely need to conduct in person business in the West Wing, we respectfully ask you to avoid unnecessary visits.” The memo is signed by the White House Management Office.