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White House likened to 'ghost town' as anxiety over coronavirus cluster grows

US administration faces complaints it failed to trace potential contacts of Donald Trump and his infected aidesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage
A member of the White House cleaning staff sprays the press briefing room after Donald Trump’s return from hospital on Monday. Photograph: Erin Scott/Reuters

The growing coronavirus cluster linked to Donald Trump is sending ripples of intense anxiety among staff, journalists and officials who spend much of their time in the White House and into the wider city of Washington DC itself.

The West Wing has reportedly turned into a “ghost town” amid complaints that the White House has failed to trace potential contacts of Trump and his infected aides, with many now working from home even as the president exhorted Americans “not to be afraid of Covid”.

That has left behind

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