Pool Reports of April 5, 2020

Pool report #1/lid

A travel/photo lid was issued at 11:45 am on this sunny, otherwise golf-worthy Sunday, 15 minutes before the call time for today's pool.

No COVID-19 task force briefing today.

Stay safe.

pool report #2/lid has been lifted

The pool has an updated call time: 6:30 p.m.
It's a safe bet that the president will do a briefing after all, as he tweeted at 3:30 would be a possibility after his task force meeting.

pool report #3/briefing at 7 p.m.

The pool is on duty for the 7 p.m. briefing. With 15 minutes to go, all but one of the 14 assigned seats are occupied. The straggler is on his way after initially missing the short notice email.

Two temperature checks today, and no questions. Today's sticker indicating a fever-free journalist is magenta, a bit darker than Barney.

To recap the day's events:
11:45 a.m. The White House press office declared a travel/photo lid, shortly before the noon pool call time.
3:30 p.m. The president tweeted that there might be a briefing after today's coronavirus task force meeting.
5:23 p.m. The press office lifted the lid and set a 6:30 p.m. call time for pool
7 p.m. briefing scheduled

pool report #4/briefing about to begin

Dr. Deborah Birx and Rear Adm. John Polowczyk are standing on the podium as we await the start of tonight's briefing.

Dr. Anthony Fauci is seated on the side with a Veterans Secretary Robert Wilkie.
A reporter asked Fauci how much sleep he's getting. "I was getting 3 before," he said, but his wife said that was going to kill him so he's up to 5 hours a night. "Those extra two hours is like everything in the world."

pool report #5/briefing begins

President Trump and Vice President Pence emerged into the briefing room at 6:58 p.m.
Pence stands next to Rear Adm. John Polowczyk.
The president starts with best wishes for British prime minister Boris Johnson.I'll provide color as warranted.

pool report #6/briefing color

"We have stockpiled 29 million pills of the Hydroxychloroquine ... And they're not expensive," Trump says. "What do you have to lose?"
Fauci, seated at side of briefing room, is avoiding eye contact and could practicing a self-calming technique. Dr. Birx likewise appears stoic, as does the scarf draped over her left shoulder.

In the room, pooler can see three people wearing facemasks: two men, a news photographer currently shooting from near the door to the outside and a TV technician at the consoles in the back of the room, and a woman in the back, toward the work area, who I believe is a TV producer. Pooler's spouse is messaging him that he should also be wearing a mask, which he is not.

print pool #7/lid (again)

Tonight's coronavirus task force briefing with President Trump et. al. lasted about 82 minutes.

A travel/photo lid -- the second of the day -- was declared at 8:24 p.m.

Good night to all.