The US House of Representatives has ordered all members and staff to wear face masks as the national death toll from coronavirus rose above 150,000.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said members would be allowed to remove their masks when addressing the chamber but that anyone who broke the new rule faced being removed.

Democrats have a majority in the House and party members are considering making lawmakers take tests for the virus before they enter the Capitol complex.

Ms Pelosi took the decision after Louie Gohmert, a Texas Republican often seen around the Capitol without a face covering, tested positive on Wednesday. He had been due to travel that day with US President Donald Trump.

Ms Pelosi called the move “a sign of respect for the health, safety and well-being of others present in the chamber and surrounding areas”.