Plexiglass shields have been added to White House desks by Joe Biden's administration.
Bloomberg News senior White House reporter Jennifer Jacobs posted photos on her Twitter account of two desks with shields attached about a half hour before the inauguration.
Jacobs tweeted:
"At the Biden admin's request, desks throughout the West Wing have been outfitted with plexiglass germ shields. The plastic barriers stand about 3 feet tall; most desks have them now. Big change for West Wing, where some Trump aides chose not to wear masks at their workspaces."
Protection against COVID-19 has been an issue since the pandemic started.
Former President Donald Trump was criticized by some people for not doing more to encourage people to wear masks.
Before the November election, then President-elect Joe Biden said mask mandates were a manifestation of the Golden Rule.
"We must all wear masks," Biden said. "It's not a political statement – it's a manifestation of God's commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves, so we can save lives."
Biden also described lockdown edicts and mask mandates as "patriotic."
The vice-presidential debate between former Vice President Mike Pence and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris included plexiglass dividers as a protective measure against coronavirus transmission.
Biden and Harris were sworn in Wednesday.
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