Coronavirus Cases Skyrocketing In Tulsa Days Before Trump Rally

slims Wednesday, June 17, 2020

TOPLINE

When President Donald Trump holds his first rally since the coronavirus pandemic swept across the U.S. this Saturday, he will be doing so in one of the nation’s new coronavirus hotspots—Tulsa, Oklahoma—where the 7-day average of new cases has spiked over 400% this month, and Wednesday brought a record number

of new cases. Donald Trump Holds Campaign Rally In South Carolina One Day Before Primary

KEY FACTS

There’s been tremendous controversy about Trump’s decision to resume his “Make America Great Again” rallies ahead of the 2020 election, which will pack thousands of screaming people into indoor arenas, making for a fertile environment for coronavirus infections to spread, health experts have said.

The decision to hold the first rally in Tulsa has become particularly questionable, as the case rise there has continued to accelerate throughout June.

The Oklahoma Department of Health reported 96 new coronavirus cases in Tulsa County on Wednesday—a single-day record since the pandemic started, while there were 259 new cases reported statewide, also a single-day record.

Tulsa County’s cumulative number of cases has risen by over 50% in June alone, according to stats from the state, though that hasn’t been reflected yet in terms of deaths.

Trump’s rally on Saturday—which was moved from its originally scheduled date of Friday, the same day as Juneteenth—is planned to be held inside the BOK Center, which has a capacity of around 19,000 people.

At a White House press briefing on Wednesday, Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said of those attending the rally “you assume a risk … that’s part of life,” while adding “this concern for the rallies has largely been absent when it came to the protesters,” referring to widespread protests following the death of George Floyd.

CHIEF CRITICS

Many have voiced concern about the risk of coronavirus spread at the rally—even some of Trump’s fellow Republicans. The Republican mayor of Tulsa said in a statement Tuesday, "I don’t like to be the first to try anything. I would have loved some other city to have proven the safety of such an event already.” Oklahoma’s Republican governor has also asked the Trump campaign to move the rally from the indoor venue, and Vice President Mike Pence said the campaign is considering “outside activities."

There was also a legal effort by Tulsa residents and businesses to force the rally to abide by social distancing guidelines, but a Tulsa judge threw out the lawsuit on Tuesday.

KEY BACKGROUND

As the initial surge in cases swept across the U.S. in March and April, Oklahoma largely escaped the level of impact that affected parts of the country like the New York City metropolitan area, Michigan and Louisiana. By mid-April, new cases were on the decline, and the state started Phase 1 of its reopening on April 24. The new case count was relatively stable up until the beginning of this month when Oklahoma entered Phase 3—allowing for businesses to go back to full staffing levels.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Temperature checks will be required for entry to the rally and all attendees will be given a mask, though wearing one will be “optional."

TANGENT

Trump has continued to hype up the event, saying Monday that “Almost One Million people” had requested tickets for the rally in the 19,000-seat venue.