Journalist With a Fever Denied Access to White House Press Briefing

Reporter’s temperature “registered above” CDC’s 100.4 guidelines, White House VP press secretary Katie Miller tweets

White House Continues To Respond To Coronavirus Epidemic
Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

An unnamed journalist was denied access to a White House press briefing on Saturday after registering a fever at an entry checkpoint.

“According to the White House Medical Unit, the temperature was taken three times over a 15 minute period — all three registered above the @CDCgov 100.4 guidelines,” White House press secretary Katie Miller tweeted Saturday.

Miller’s tweet was a quote tweet of CNN’s Shimon Prokupecz, who had written: “CNN White House Team: A journalist was denied entry into the press briefing after having a 99.9 fever. He was trying to get access to the briefing and was turned away and is being held by the press office on the White House driveway.”

A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.

During the briefing from which the unnamed reporter was barred, journalists pressed President Donald Trump on why he hadn’t yet been tested for the coronavirus since he has interacted with multiple people who have tested positive for COVID-19, including two Brazilian delegates.

“I also took the test last night,” Trump responded, adding that it was sent to a government lab and the results would be available in a few days. He also said his temperature was taken before the press briefing.

POTUS also announced during the meeting with reporters that the European travel ban he implemented on Wednesday would now be extended to the U.K. and Ireland as of midnight Monday.

Before exiting the room, reporters shouted out, asking what his temperature was. The president said on his way out, “Totally normal.”

See Miller’s tweet below.

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