In just six hours on Inauguration Day, belongings of a departing president’s family are moved out, carpets are cleaned, furniture is rearranged, fresh art is hung and the executive mansion is transformed for its new residents before they set foot inside.
But staff tasked with preparing the executive mansion for the arrival Jan. 20 of President-elect Joe Biden and his family will do so under extraordinary circumstances: the COVID-19 contagion that has already infected departing President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and multiple White House staffers.
When someone working in a school, business, library or other public building tests positive for coronavirus, the property owners or managers often respond by ordering the structure to undergo what is known as a “deep cleaning” – a process in which highly specialized contractors are brought in to eradicate the virus with botanical disinfectants.
It’s going to take them months to get all that fast food grease off of the Resolute Desk.