Thousands of ‘Black Trans Lives Matter’ Protesters Gather Outside Brooklyn Museum as Gov. Cuomo Threatens Party Goers in the Hamptons ‘Violating Social Distancing’

Thousands of ‘black trans lives matter’ protesters gathered outside of the Brooklyn museum on Sunday. The protesters were shoulder-to-shoulder and not practicing social distancing. Meanwhile, Governor Cuomo threatened restaurant/bar owners, police officers and party goers in Manhattan and the Hamptons who were violating the Communist ‘social distancing’ orders...Crooked Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. recently announced the DA’s office will not prosecute protest-related arrests “in the interest of justice.”...

AP far more concerned about this (no surprise Colvin involved in writing it):

14 Jun: AP: Trump rally called ‘dangerous move’ in age of coronavirus
By CARLA K. JOHNSON and JILL COLVIN
But health experts are questioning that decision...
Yet the Tulsa City-County Health Department’s director told the Tulsa World over the weekend that he wished the Trump campaign would move the date back because of a “significant increase in our case trends.”
“I’m concerned about our ability to protect anyone who attends a large, indoor event, and I’m also concerned about our ability to ensure the president stays safe as well,” Dr. Bruce Dart told the newspaper.
Other health experts also cite the danger of infection spreading among the crowd and sparking outbreaks when people return to their homes...

WHAT MAKES THE RALLY HIGH RISK?
Trump’s rally will be held indoors, at 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, with much shouting, cheering and chanting. Some people dance and jeer at reporters. Sometimes protesters are met with violence before they are removed by security.

Many attendees are older, which would put them at higher risk of severe complications from COVID-19. It’s not unusual for several individuals in the crowd to require medical attention when the temperature rises.
The rallies also typically draw supporters from surrounding towns and states. Some die-hard fans travel across the country from rally to rally like groupies for a band.

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.”...

Julie Fischer, an associate research professor of microbiology and immunology at Georgetown University, said the event could have wide repercussions for the country.
“With a little bad luck, that scenario could end in the seeding of community outbreaks of COVID-19 across the U.S.,” she said...

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 been eager to resume the rallies that are the centerpiece of his campaign. The president revels in his large crowds...
They also help his campaign expand its voter databases and will serve as a contrast to Democratic challenger Biden, who has suspended campaign events because of the virus and hasn’t attracted the same size of crowds...

But the decision to pull the trigger now was driven, in large part, by the mass anti-racism protests that have taken place across the country in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis. Campaign and White House officials say the protests — and the limited public health outcry they generated — gave them cover. If it was OK for tens of thousands of people to march through the streets, demanding racial justice, why can’t Trump rally his supporters, too?
Of course, the protests were held outside, with many participants wearing masks.
“Any large gathering, whether of protesters or ralliers, is dangerous,” Jha said. But infection is less likely at an outdoors moving march than at a crowded event in an enclosed space, he said, citing the air flow...
https://hosted.ap.org/republicanherald/article/7a1e6bedf3784ecdbc8c2373fdd4e97c/trump-rally-called-‘dangerous-move’-age-coronavirus

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