Don’s rally worries health experts
WASHINGTON — After months away from the campaign trail, President Trump plans to rally his supporters Saturday for the first time since most of the country was shuttered by the coronavirus. Trump will head to Tulsa, Oklahoma — a state with relatively few COVID-19 cases.
But health experts question the decision, citing the danger of infection spreading among the crowd and sparking outbreaks when people return to their homes. The Trump campaign acknowledges the risk in a waiver attendees must agree to absolving them of any responsibility should people get sick.
What makes the rally high risk:
Trump’s rally will be inside a 19,000-seat arena that has canceled all other events through the end of July. Scientists believe the virus spreads far more easily in crowded enclosed spaces than it does outdoors, where circulating air has a better chance of dispersing virus particles.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention outlines the highest risk events for transmission of the coronavirus this way: “Large in-person gatherings where it is difficult for individuals to remain spaced at least 6 feet apart and attendees travel from outside the local area.” The CDC recommends cloth masks in places where people might shout or chant.
Trump’s rallies typically draw tens of thousands of supporters.
They usually stand outside in line for hours before passing through airport-style security and cramming into an arena, where they sit side by side or stand shoulder to shoulder. The rallies are typically raucous.
Many attendees are older, which would put them at higher risk of severe complications from COVID-19.
It’s also not unusual for several individuals in the crowd to require medical attention when the temperature rises. Saturday’s forecast in Tulsa calls for a high of 97.
Dr. Ashish Jha, director of Harvard’s Global Health Institute, called the upcoming Trump rally “an extraordinarily dangerous move for the people participating and the people who may know them and love them and see them afterward.”
Trump supporters coming from neighboring cities and states could carry the virus back home, Jha said. “I’d feel the same way if Joe Biden were holding a rally.”
Oklahoma cases low but rising:
In its final phase of reopening, Oklahoma allows public gatherings of any size as long as organizers consider social distancing.
Participants at any large gathering should stay 6 feet apart and wear a cloth face covering when distancing is a challenge, the state health department said.
The state has a relatively low death rate compared with the rest of the nation, but new cases are rising. The Tulsa Health Department already was investigating an outbreak linked to an indoor gathering of a large group of people.
Citing the spike in cases, Bruce Dart, executive director of the Tulsa Health Department, said he wished the rally would postponed to a later date “when the virus isn’t as large a concern as it is today.”
Oklahoma health authorities said anyone who attends a large public event should get tested for COVID-19 shortly afterward.
Masks and precautions:
The Trump campaign has declined to respond to repeated questions about whether it will require attendees to wear masks, socially distance or take other measures to reduce the risk of virus transmission.
Trump has made clear that he believes empty seats are bad optics.
“I can’t imagine a rally where you have every fourth seat full. Every — every six seats are empty for every one that you have full. That wouldn’t look too good,” he said in April.