Gov. Jim Justice today said more should have been done to protect President Donald Trump from the spread of coronavirus.
Justice, a Republican, has often described his close relationship with Trump. Justice has issued a face covering mandate and other precautions as West Virginia has tried to slow the virus.
“I would say this if he if he was sitting here, as his buddy,” Justice said. “Our president probably should take more precautions. His people around him should take more precautions.”
Justice later said, “We’ve probably got to do a better job of protecting him. He’s got to do a better job of allowing us to protect him.”
Trump was confirmed to have covid-19 early Friday morning and has been treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
The president’s team of doctors has said he’s been treated with the antiviral drug remdesivir, an experimental antibody cocktail and the steroid dexamethasone in the past few days.
Today, the president tweeted that he expects to be released from Walter Reed this evening, although it’s likely his treatment would continue at the White House.
I will be leaving the great Walter Reed Medical Center today at 6:30 P.M. Feeling really good! Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump Administration, some really great drugs & knowledge. I feel better than I did 20 years ago!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 5, 2020
Additional members of the White House staff, including press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, have also been confirmed with covid cases over the past few days.
Many of those now isolating either participated in a ceremony for the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court or attended Trump’s debate with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
“If we can get this, and it can infiltrate our White House — and it can spread through people in our White House — then we have either got to be doing something that we can do better at or we’ve got to know we’ve got to be on guard all the time,” Justice said.
Others with positive tests at the White House include first lady Melania Trump and adviser Hope Hicks. Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien also tested positive, as did former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who helped Trump prepare for the debate with Biden.
Three U.S. senators — Mike Lee, Thom Tillis and Ron Johnson, all Republicans who attended Barrett’s nomination ceremony — also have tested positive.
That all shows how quickly covid can spread, said Clay Marsh, West Virginia’s coronavirus response coordinator.
“Covid is ubiquitous. It’s everywhere,” Marsh said today. “Despite all the measures taken we have evidence there’s been a spreading event at the White House and perhaps even at the Rose Garden celebration, which is outside.”
Marsh added, “It really does tell us how important it is for us, even if we’re outside around other people to continue to wear a mask and try to stay physically distant and do those things because covid can spread between people.”