Posted on 08/27/2020 7:14:36 PM PDT by robowombat
Hundreds gather at White House for Trump speech despite COVID-19 guidelines BY BRETT SAMUELS - 08/27/20 08:59 PM EDT
Hundreds gather at White House for Trump speech despite COVID-19 guidelines
Hundreds of people packed the South Lawn of the White House on Thursday for President Trump's acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, flouting federal and local health guidance on the coronavirus pandemic.
Roughly 1,500 guests are expected to attend, a Trump campaign official said, with lawmakers, congressional candidates, administration officials and first responders among them. Seats were mere inches apart, and few guests were spotted wearing masks in the hours before Trump took the stage.
Trump administration officials have urged Americans to wear masks when it is not possible to maintain six feet of distance in order to avoid spreading COVID-19.
ADVERTISEMENT Further adding to the potential risk from the gathering, the campaign would not say whether attendees were tested for COVID-19 before they arrived, instead referring to vague health protocols in place.
"Patronus Medical, a leading medical, safety, and health company, has worked in partnership with the Republican National Committee to make certain proper protocols are in place to ensure the safety and well-being of individuals at convention venues," the campaign said in a statement.
Robert Darling, the chief medical officer at Patronus Medical, said health professionals were on site "to make certain screening has been done on a consistent basis to ensure the convention meets the highest standards of public safety."
The crowd also was in defiance of guidelines from Washington, D.C., that prohibit mass gatherings of more than 50 people. Visitors who come to the District from certain high-risk states are asked to quarantine for 14 days.
The massive gathering on the White House lawn comes after Trump canceled convention plans in Charlotte, N.C., complaining that he would not be able to hold a large celebration without masks or social distancing.
The setup Thursday alarmed health experts, who warned of the potential for spreading the virus.
Protesters gather in Lafayette Square ahead of Trump convention speech Overnight Health Care: Shifting CDC testing guidance sparks backlash... "This is irresponsible. Yes it's outdoors. But these folks are together for an extended period of time without masks. It's utterly irresponsible," tweeted Ashish Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute.
"Political convention or illegal large pandemic-risky low-mask-use un-distanced public gathering?" tweeted Eric Feigl-Ding, an epidemiologist and health economist at Harvard.
This week's Republican convention has largely treated the pandemic as an afterthought, frequently referring to it in the past tense, even as roughly 1,000 people in the U.S. die each day from the virus. The U.S. has by far the highest number of reported infections of any country in the world at 5.8 million.
There you have it. Who could question Eric Feigl-Ding, from Harvard.
Since they didn’t torch the White House and nearby vehicles and structures in order to kill the virus, this was very dangerous.
They aren’t wearing masks either!
FREEEEEEEEEEEEEDOM!!!!!
Well tomorrow Al Sharpton is hosting a huge protest in DC. We will see how the virus data spreads.
I was riding such a high watching this final night. Amazed by Speaker after speaker. And then Ivanka has to come out and suck the wind out of the whole thing.
Apparently CV2 testing at the White House is done daily, up the yingyang.
Well, on the bright side, Kristy Noem won't have to worry about competition from this one.
I hope everyone like Feigl-Ding constantly cowers in fear and has absolutely no life. May they die lonely. That’s what pussies deserve. Too many in America need to grow a set.
as soon as they say the same about protesters I will pay attention to them
White House Acceptance Speech, bad
3,000 protestors and 60 out of state reporters on the other side of the fence yelling and spreading slobber, good
because...liberal logic
/sarc
I too, had to mute her. She is a bit over the top with her egocentrism.
I love Trump, but I can live without his daughters in my face!
And yes, I am a female.
“health economist...”
WTF is that?
Snufalufagus and Muir complaining about no one wearing masks and how close together the chairs are. Pathetic !
Hate to tell this to Dr. Fauci, Dr. Birx, the CDC, and all of the moronic Democrat governors and mayors, but we are going to have to live with it. Just like we do everything else. Life is full of risks - including viruses. If you want to wear a mask (while riding alone in your car, when you are 100s of feet away from anyone else, while you are jogging or biking, ...) have at it. If you are vulnerable, stay home. But leave the rest of us alone so we can get back to normal. Let us be responsible for our own lives and health.
Huh? I thought she absolutely hit it out of the park!
Tough titty, said the kitty.
+1
Find you acceptable level of risk and live with it.
Or hibernate.
Just don’t expect the rest of us to pay for your death-style.
Tomorrow iirc Sharpton is supposed to March in DC. With thousands
Masks? Social distancing?
Any bets?
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