What is the mood inside the White House and how has Covid-19 been managed?

The South Portico and South Lawn of the White House in Washington DC

With the news that Donald Trump has coronavirus, staff inside the White House are scrambling to establish just how far the outbreak at the top of the US government has spread. 

In the days leading up to his positive test, Mr Trump interacted with dozens of senior officials and aides, as well as his nominee for the US Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett. 

The White House medical unit is carrying out contact-tracing to find and test everyone who has been in contact with Mr Trump and his aides. Officials are expecting to identify more cases within the West Wing as a result. 

The outbreak will force a significant culture change within the West Wing, where aides have previously taken a cavalier attitude to the use of face masks and social distancing. 

Just this week it was reported that senior White House officials had rebuked West Wing staff for wearing face masks because "it wasn’t a good look". 

The West Wing had wanted to "portray confidence and make the public believe there was absolutely nothing to worry about," one official told CNN.

The message chimed with Mr Trump’s own approach to face masks, which he felt could send the wrong message to the country when he has claimed the US is "rounding the turn" on the virus. 

By contrast, the East Wing of the White House has taken a very different approach to the risk of coronavirus.

The First Lady has required all her staff to wear masks and practice social distancing in the East Wing and the Residence since early April, according to her chief of staff Stephanie Grisham.

Mrs Trump also scaled back the number of staff entering the building, with all non-essential staff working from home from mid-March.

Mrs Trump has also stopped bringing her own staff on trips she undertakes with the president to avoid more exposure to the virus.

It is not yet clear when and how Mr Trump became infected and his busy schedule in the run up to the election has brought him into contact with a wide group of people. 

Mr Trump prepared for his Tuesday night debate against Joe Biden in the close quarters of the West Wing where none present wore masks, according to former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, who was helping with the debate practice. 

All four of Mr Trump’s adult children travelled to the debate in Cleveland, Ohio and were photographed in the audience without face masks.

Mr Trump held a rally in Minnesota on Wednesday, after which his adviser Hope Hicks began experiencing Covid-19 symptoms, and the president also held an indoor event with supporters in New Jersey on Thursday night. 

Staff at the White House executive residence are said to be feeling "nervous" about the news that Mr Trump and the First Lady Melania Trump have become infected with coronavirus. 

The couple are currently isolating inside the White House residence, which has 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, and 6 levels, and is staffed by around 90 workers.