White House closes cafeteria after worker tests positive for coronavirus

by · Washington Examiner

The White House closed one of its cafeterias and began conducting contact tracing after an employee tested positive for the coronavirus.

The cafeteria, located in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, was closed this week after the case was discovered. It's unclear how long the facility will remain closed, but some staffers were told it could be shuttered for two weeks.

The venue is run by a government contractor dissimilar from the White House Mess run by the U.S. Navy.

“All proper protocols were in place by the vendor including masks, gloves, plastic shielding at check out, and no dine-in service,” a General Services Administration spokesperson told NBC News on Wednesday. “The White House Medical Unit has done contact tracing and determined that the risk of retransmission is low.”

"There is no reason for panic or alarm," an email to workers obtained by CNN read.

The agency did not indicate how many staffers may have been exposed. The EEOB is located across from the West Wing and houses the officers of much of the senior White House staff, including officials from the coronavirus task force and the vice president's office.

Several White House officials previously tested positive for the coronavirus during an outbreak earlier this year, as have a handful of staffers on the president's reelection campaign.