TRACING: White House shows little effort, Virgina efforts show difficulty

In between, the president met with dozens of aides without wearing a mask — even in close quarters and after top aide Hope Hicks had tested positive. He appeared before thousands at a rally in Minnesota. And he held a nationally televised debate with former vice president Joe Biden after holing up with debate preppers.

But there was little evidence on Saturday that the White House or the campaign had reached out to these potentially exposed people, or even circulated guidance to the rattled staffers within the White House complex. ...

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Richmond, VA -- (Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and his wife Pam have tested positive)

...The Northams’ positive tests triggered an unusual exercise in contact tracing, the epidemiological detective work that aims to retrace the steps of each coronavirus patient and warn anyone who may have been exposed. Their travel was extensive, which made following their trail complicated — but it was also well-documented, which made it easier to confirm where they’d gone, whom they interacted with and how closely. Similar factors will be in play if and when White House contact tracers get to work on the recent contacts of President Trump and first lady Melania Trump, who announced they had tested positive early Friday. ...