White House reporters practice social distancing in the briefing room

The White House briefing room looked a little different Monday as reporters seek to practice social distancing amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Bright yellow signs were taped to every other chair by the White House Correspondents’ Association ahead of a 3:30 p.m. ET briefing by members of the coronavirus task force.

“ATTENTION: TO ENSURE PROPER SOCIAL DISTANCING THIS SEAT IS TO REMAIN UNOCCUPIED FOR THE DURATION OF THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION, WHCA BOARD,” the sign reads.

Signs have also been placed on the other chairs with assigned outlets.

As the White House has dramatically stepped up the frequency of briefings over the last few weeks, the briefing room has become increasingly crowded in spite of the public health crisis. It remains unclear whether task force members, who have previously stood closely together behind the podium, will also practice social distancing going forward.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Sunday released new guidance recommending people “cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more through the United States” for eight weeks.

The White House Correspondents’ Association has encouraged those who can to work from home do so and has requested that media outlets maintain “only the bare level of essential staffing,” per a memo from WHCA president and ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl.

Additionally, there are mandatory temperature checks for anyone seeking to enter White House grounds. There was a small tent set up outside the White House gate Monday where reporters were screened with a temporal thermometer on their way into work. The White House began checking temperatures for those who come into close contact with President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence over the weekend.

For now, the work of covering the Trump White House continues — with a little extra space.