Trump Orders COVID Signs Removed From Federal Buildings

Federal employees arrived at work this week to find COVID-19 signage being stripped from walls across government facilities following a sweeping directive from the Trump administration. An April 8 memo from acting General Services Administrator Stephen Ehikian instructed all agencies to “remove all COVID-related signage from federally owned buildings and leased space,” citing the end of the public health emergency declaration nearly two years ago.

One federal healthcare worker reported discovering the policy when nursing staff began systematically removing virus-related information throughout their facility without prior notice. The directive comes alongside a dramatic transformation of federal pandemic websites and represents a significant shift in the government’s public approach to COVID-19, which continues claiming approximately 325 American lives weekly.

“GSA regularly sends out information regarding the procedures for displaying official portraits of the President and Vice-President in federally owned buildings and leased space during the change of administration,” an agency spokesperson told CBS News, characterizing the COVID signage removal as “part of our normal operations in providing updates to our tenant agencies.”

Presidential Portraits In, Pandemic Information Out

The memo, which media outlets have obtained and reviewed, includes dual directives – requiring the immediate installation of official portraits of President Trump and Vice President Vance while simultaneously ordering the removal of all pandemic-related signage. This pairing creates what some federal employees describe as a symbolic statement about administration priorities.

GSA previously highlighted the portrait directive on social media without mentioning the COVID signage removal component, posting: “If you’re visiting any public office, you’ll start seeing the portrait up on display soon!” The more controversial element of the guidance has emerged only through media reporting and internal government communications.

The physical removal of pandemic information parallels a digital transformation, as the administration has simultaneously converted COVID.gov and COVIDTests.gov from practical health resources into platforms promoting the lab leak theory. Fox 7 Austin reports the revamped sites now feature imagery of President Trump walking between the words “lab” and “leak,” providing no health services information.

Safety Guidance Disappears While Virus Continues Circulating

The removal of COVID signage eliminates information that reminded visitors about precautions that can reduce transmission in federal facilities, which serve millions of Americans weekly. These facilities include Social Security offices, VA medical centers, federal courthouses, and other high-traffic locations where vulnerable populations often congregate.

While the public health emergency officially ended in May 2023, COVID-19 continues affecting communities nationwide. CDC data shows approximately 325 Americans dying weekly from the virus over the past month, while recent statistics indicate fewer than 25% of adults have received updated vaccines. Millions worldwide continue experiencing long COVID symptoms including debilitating fatigue and cognitive difficulties.

Public health experts express concern that removing both physical and digital pandemic resources eliminates important navigational tools, particularly for vulnerable populations who may require additional support in accessing testing and treatment. Some federal agencies serving high-risk populations had maintained enhanced health safety messaging beyond the emergency declaration’s end.

Digital Transformation Mirrors Physical Changes

The signage removal directive comes as the administration simultaneously transformed key pandemic websites. COVID.gov, which previously offered location-based services to find testing centers, vaccine providers, and treatment facilities, now redirects to a White House page titled “Lab Leak: The True Origins of COVID-19” that provides no health services information.

According to Fox News Digital, the converted website presents content sourced from the Republican-led House Oversight Committee’s Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, making specific claims about the virus’s origins while challenging the scientific basis for pandemic control measures like masking and social distancing.

Hours after implementation, some federal health agency websites continued directing users to the transformed resources for testing information, despite the new pages containing no relevant health guidance. An HHS spokesperson acknowledged the transition issues, stating the department was “in the process of updating their web pages accordingly.”

Administration Frames Changes as Return to Normalcy

The Trump administration has characterized these changes as appropriate given the formal end of the public health emergency nearly two years ago. “This administration prioritizes transparency over all else,” a senior administration official told reporters. “The American people deserve to know the truth about the COVID pandemic, and we will always find ways to reach communities with that message.”

President Trump’s campaign arm shared screenshots of the new website on social media with the caption “TRUMP WAS RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING!” – framing the changes as vindication of positions taken during the pandemic’s early days when he suggested the virus originated in a Chinese laboratory.

As federal agencies implement these directives, visitors to government facilities will encounter spaces visually transformed by both the removal of health information and the addition of new presidential imagery – changes that some employees characterize as the most visible manifestation yet of the administration’s different approach to public health communication.