Social Distancing - Practicing What You Preach is Optional

We are all being told that social distancing is one of the most important ways to stop the spread of COVID-19.  This is evident from this extract from the U.S Government COVID-19 Response Plan as shown here:

With that in mind and the fact that many medical experts are suggesting a 2 metre or 6 foot distance as safe:

...let's look at a White House Coronavirus Task Force press briefing from March 19, 2020:

At the 43 minute mark, you can see how closely the members of the press are seated to each other.  There is well less than six feet between each of them, both front to back and side to side.  You can get a better sense of this if you go to the one hour and 39 minute mark.

Now, go to the 46 minute and 45 second mark.  Here you will see someone trying to space out the people already standing behind the microphone to achieve some semblance of proper social distancing but it is more or less a complete failure.  What is rather surprising and concerning is that the woman in the light grey suit is Dr. Deborah Birx, a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force who, as a physician , should know better than to stand so close to Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams, also a physician

At the 47 minute, 30 second mark, Donald Trump and Mike Pence arrive on the stage.  You will note that everyone squeezes together, completely ignoring the advice of a 6 foot social distance.  

Interestingly, if you go to the 1 hour, 45 minute and 15 second mark, the President notes that the members of the press are sitting too close to each other and offers the suggestion that "we should probably get rid of another 75 or 80 percent of them".

I wish that this occurrence was unique, but in watching press conferences with other world leaders and medical experts, this behaviour is repeated time and time again.

Given the allegations of the extremely serious nature of the pandemic, one would think that our leaders would at least practice what they are preaching....but apparently not.  Either that, or they know something we don't know (there goes that tinfoil hat thing again!)