COVID-19: Melania Trump defended by White House after taking mask off to read at children's hospital
Only two children were allowed in the room with the first lady as she read Oliver the Ornament Meets Marley & Joan and Abbey.
Wednesday 16 December 2020 10:53, UK
The White House has defended Melania Trump after she took her mask off to read a book aloud at a children's hospital.
In a decades-long tradition, Mrs Trump visited a hospital in Washington DC on Tuesday to meet staff and patients, saying: "This is one of my favourite events during the holiday season."
However, the first lady was criticised for breaking COVID-19 protocols and taking off her face covering to read the book Oliver the Ornament Meets Marley & Joan and Abbey by Todd Zimmerman to some children during her visit.
Only two children were sat in the room with Mrs Trump, with other patients watching on a live stream. Other staff, including secret service agents, were around, but socially-distant from everyone else.
Defending Mrs Trump removing her mask, the White House said: "The visit followed the hospital's mask protocols for public speakers, based on the District of Columbia health guidance, that wearing a mask is not required when a person is giving a speech for broadcast or an audience, provided no one is within six feet of the speaker.
"Throughout the holiday program, the first lady was more than 12 feet away from others in the four-storey atrium.
"Today's visit, broadcast to 325 inpatient hospital rooms, followed these guidelines."
She also visited Seacrest Studios, a broadcast centre within the hospital for children to learn tech skills, where she played bingo with a few children - this time wearing a mask.
Following her visit, she said: I am grateful to have had the opportunity to find a safe way to spread a little Christmas cheer to all of the courageous and brave children at Children's National.
"They are all heroes who truly radiate the spirit and meaning of the season."
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The Trump administration has largely shunned the use of during the coronavirus pandemic, with the president often mocking those who wore them.
After leaving the hospital where he was treated for having COVID-19, he symbolically removed his mask on the White House balcony in front of the cameras.
President-elect Joe Biden has indicated he will impose a nationwide mask mandate when he takes office next month, having previously been a staunch advocate for the measure.
More than 300,000 people have died in the US with COVID-19 - more than anywhere else in the world.