June 19, 2020 — Tomorrow is the day chosen by Pres. Trump for his big rally in Tulsa at the Bank of Oklahoma Center. Some 19,000 supporters are expected to attend what has been dubbed a “superspreader” event by health officials. Ticket holders had to sign waivers absolving Trump and BOK of liability if they contract COVID-19 at the arena, although lawyers have said they doubt the waivers would hold up in court.
Temperature checks, hand sanitizer, and masks will be provided, although there will be no requirement to wear the masks. Furthermore, there will be no social distancing enforced; Trump has stated his opposition to empty seats because they don’t look good.
Why, one wonders, did the arena and the city agree to host such an event? Oklahoma is still trying to control the virus, and Tulsa has seen two record upticks in its number of cases just this week. Given Trump’s refusal to wear a mask — because it might make him look weak — and the likelihood that most of his supporters will follow his example, Tulsa’s hospitals could be facing a big influx of COVID cases.
Trump, of course, won’t stick around for the aftermath. But maybe he’ll take a little viral souvenir with him. That would be poetic justice.
Oklahoma is a very Republican state, but for Tulsa, this may have been a decision based on economics. Or maybe, once again, someone simply knuckled under to a request/demand from the President. Either way, it’s pathetic. People’s health and lives are more important than dollars and egos.
I’ll never, ever, understand this decision. One person…I can’t say anymore than…one person.
I don’t get it either. It’s like lemmings following each other over the cliff. Only just today did Colorado increase the permissible size of gatherings to 100. And that’s still with social distancing and masks. I think they’ve lost their minds in Tulsa.
Absolutely, how can people just ignore the danger? I had to go lay down for a while today after reading about the nightmare that the virus can be at it’s most severe and then seeing a video of a guy who just got vicious because a business asked him to wear a mask. It’s a piece of FABRIC for God’s sake! All those folks are going to go in there and support their leader, defiantly not wearing a mask and COVID will say. “Yummy.”
It’s going to be ugly, no doubt. Both in the arena and outside with the demonstrators. Trump just wants crowds. He doesn’t care who gets sick or hurt.
Look on the bright side. Trump should create indoor campaign rallies in all 50 states and his loyal, misguided supporters should all attend. Meanwhile the rest of us should religiously maintain social distancing and wear face coverings any time we’re outside of our homes. Lemmings that don’t survive can’t vote.
Good point. But even Chief Lemming Pence backed out of his scheduled Arizona appearances rather than exercise his vaunted constitutional right to assemble without a mask. The lemmings are starting to think.