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"WASHINGTON – An indoor arena crammed with more than 19,000 fans. Standing shoulder to shoulder. Shouting their approval. For more than an hour. And many without masks.
President Donald Trump's decision to return to the campaign trail by holding a rally Saturday night in the Tulsa, Oklahoma – his first in more than three months – in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic has health experts fearful that the gathering could turn into ground zero for a "super spreader" event.
And that doesn't include the thousands of supporters, protesters and law enforcement officers expected to congregate outside the venue, most in close proximity to one another and for extended periods of time. Or the musical acts and high-profile surrogates intended to give the event a festival feel.
Many will come from around the country and return to their homes when it's over.
Let me be clear: Anyone trying to attend a large-scale gathering will face an increased risk of becoming infected with COVID-19," Bruce Dart, executive director of the Tulsa Health Department, told reporters Wednesday. "I know so many people are over COVID, but COVID is not over. It's transmitting very efficiently in our community."
The rally is being held even as the Centers for Disease Control labels as the highest risk any large in-person gathering "where it is difficult for individuals to remain spaced at least 6 feet apart and attendees travel from outside the local area."
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he had no plans to attend the rally.
...
Professional and college sports have been largely shut down for months, following the advice of medical experts who say even limited exposure to a virus with no vaccine can be fatal. The BOK Center has canceled or postponed more than a dozen events, including concerts, since March, including the last month of the minor league Tulsa Oilers hockey team.
Tulsa is seeing its highest spike in coronavirus cases. The number of new cases reached a high of 120 Wednesday, up from 35 at the beginning of the month. The trend mirrors a spike in Oklahoma.
"Why would you hold a political rally in a hot zone?," tweeted Jonathan Reimer, professor of medicine and surgery at The George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences in Washington."
USA Today: Health experts fear Trump's campaign rally in Tulsa could turn into a coronavirus 'super spreader' event
President Donald Trump's decision to return to the campaign trail by holding a rally Saturday night in the Tulsa, Oklahoma – his first in more than three months – in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic has health experts fearful that the gathering could turn into ground zero for a "super spreader" event.
And that doesn't include the thousands of supporters, protesters and law enforcement officers expected to congregate outside the venue, most in close proximity to one another and for extended periods of time. Or the musical acts and high-profile surrogates intended to give the event a festival feel.
Many will come from around the country and return to their homes when it's over.
Let me be clear: Anyone trying to attend a large-scale gathering will face an increased risk of becoming infected with COVID-19," Bruce Dart, executive director of the Tulsa Health Department, told reporters Wednesday. "I know so many people are over COVID, but COVID is not over. It's transmitting very efficiently in our community."
The rally is being held even as the Centers for Disease Control labels as the highest risk any large in-person gathering "where it is difficult for individuals to remain spaced at least 6 feet apart and attendees travel from outside the local area."
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he had no plans to attend the rally.
...
Professional and college sports have been largely shut down for months, following the advice of medical experts who say even limited exposure to a virus with no vaccine can be fatal. The BOK Center has canceled or postponed more than a dozen events, including concerts, since March, including the last month of the minor league Tulsa Oilers hockey team.
Tulsa is seeing its highest spike in coronavirus cases. The number of new cases reached a high of 120 Wednesday, up from 35 at the beginning of the month. The trend mirrors a spike in Oklahoma.
"Why would you hold a political rally in a hot zone?," tweeted Jonathan Reimer, professor of medicine and surgery at The George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences in Washington."
USA Today: Health experts fear Trump's campaign rally in Tulsa could turn into a coronavirus 'super spreader' event
