Conservatives decry UNFAIR information, mixed messages on COVID-19 risks

06/23/2020 / By Michael Alexander

President Donald Trump’s upcoming campaign rallies – the first of which will be in Tulsa, Oklahoma – will push through despite warnings that they might put attendees at risk for contracting the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).

“I’m concerned about our ability to protect anyone who attends a large, indoor event,” Bruce Dart, director of the Tulsa city and county health department, said in an interview with the Tulsa World.

While Dart thinks it is an honor for Tulsa to have President Trump as a guest, he also thinks it would be better if the rally pushed through at a much later date.

“I think it’s an honor for Tulsa to have a sitting president want to come and visit our community, but not during a pandemic,” Dart said, adding that he and the rest of the county health department are concerned about their ability to ensure the President’s safety this weekend.

This will be Trump’s first campaign rally since March.

Dart’s concern stems from a sudden spike in the number of new COVID-19 cases currently being logged by state officials.

“COVID is here in Tulsa, it is transmitting very efficiently,” Dart said in his interview. “I wish we could postpone this to a time when the virus isn’t as large a concern as it is today.”

Trump’s team, however, has not aired any worries regarding the upcoming “Make America Great Again” rally.

According to Oklahoma Senator James Lankford, a Republican, there is no need for Trump’s rally to be postponed, describing the steady increase in COVID-19 cases in the state as nothing more than “a little bit of a bump.”

Lankford, however, said that individuals who fall under the “high risk” category are discouraged from attending the campaign rallies.

“We encourage people that are high risk not to get involved in any location, whether that be a rally or other higher-risk locations,” Lankford said during his appearance at ABC’s This Week, adding that “everybody needs to be able to take responsibility for their own health”

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow echoed Lankford’s advice, noting that attendees at the rally must observe certain safety guidelines such as social distancing and the use of face coverings. (Related: Experts warn protesters: “You could start new wave of coronavirus infections”.)

In addition to following safety guidelines, prospective attendees at the upcoming Trump campaign rally must also sign a waiver excusing the president, as well as his team, from any liability in case they contract COVID-19 during the rally.

“You are acknowledging that an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. By attending the Rally, you and any guests voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and agree not to hold Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.; BOK Center; ASM Global; or any of their affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents, contractors, or volunteers liable for any illness or injury,” the waiver, which can be found at the bottom of the event’s online registration form, said.

In addition, Trump’s team has a set of protocols and health precautions that will be followed during the Tulsa rally.

According to Erin Perrine, the Trump campaign’s principal deputy communications director, the campaign rally’s attendees would have their temperatures screened and receive face masks and hand sanitizers upon entering the venue. They would also be provided with water bottles, in anticipation of Saturday’s 95-degree heat.

“The campaign takes the health and safety of rallygoers seriously,” Perrine said.

Rallies, protests may become sites for infections

Medical experts say that despite the purported measures set to be taken by organizers, campaign rallies may increase people’s chances of getting infected, given the events’ large-scale and indoor nature.

According to infectious disease expert Michael T. Osterholm, activities such as chanting and shouting can help spread the virus to the event’s attendees.

In addition, Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, noted in an interview on Fox News Sunday that it is nearly impossible to predict the impact of these large gatherings and reopenings.

Osterholm also stressed that coronavirus won’t slow its spread until up to 70 percent of the United States’ entire population have been infected. According to Osterholm, it is estimated that the coronavirus has infected only about five percent of the country’s total population.

David Relman, a professor of medicine at Stanford University, noted that since the coronavirus is easily transmissible, gathering large numbers of people without proper distancing creates a real risk for infection.

“There’s no way around that,” Relman said in an interview with NPR.

Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a member of the White House’s coronavirus task force, aired the same opinion.

According to Fauci, while he understands the reasons that may compel people to attend events such as campaign rallies and protests, he thinks that the two activities pose definite risks not just to those who choose to attend them, but also, to the authorities managing the events.

Fauci during his appearance on ABC‘s “Powerhouse Politics” podcast, noted that the most effective way to protect oneself from the coronavirus is to simply wear protective masks and avoid crowded places.

Should one ever decide to attend large events, however, Fauci has one advice: do not remove your mask.

“When you start to chant and shout, even though the instinct is to pull the mask down, which you see, don’t do that because there is a risk there and it’s a real risk,” Fauci said.

Trump, conservatives decry “unfair” reporting, information on COVID-19 risks

Claims of large gatherings being high-risk spots for possible COVID-19 infections have not escaped Trump, who noted that the risks of getting coronavirus from protests and riots – such as the ones held in memory of George Floyd – are not being covered by the media the same way as his upcoming rallies.

In a tweet, the president noted that he is being subjected to “COVID-shaming” by the media.

The Far Left Fake News Media, which had no Covid problem with the Rioters & Looters destroying Democrat run cities, is trying to Covid Shame us on our big Rallies. Won’t work!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 15, 2020

Conservative pundits and commentators have also aired criticism over what they perceive as hypocrisy from both the media and medical experts when it comes to their warnings regarding the Wuhan coronavirus.

Former GOP Hill staffer and political commentator Drew Holden, for instance, detailed in a Twitter thread how politicians and pundits criticized earlier protests against lockdowns, but championed the current racially charged ones.

Conservatives aren’t mad because there are protests.

We’re mad because ALL OF YOU said we were evil for suggesting mere weeks ago that some things are too important to keep locked down.

Don’t remember? Well, lucky for you, Twitter is free and the internet is forever.

THREAD.

— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) June 3, 2020

According to Brian Blase, who worked for the Trump administration, this is typical behavior for Democrats who control most of the mainstream media.

“Their rules appear ideologically driven as people can only gather for purposes deemed important by the elite central planners,” Blase told Politico in an interview.

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