Coronavirus: Trump’s rally ‘perfect storm’ for virus spread

Donald Trump is unmoved by pleas to postpone rally in Tulsa, where he claims ‘almost one million’ people want to attend indoor event.

US President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a rally at Bojangles' Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina on March 2. Picture: Brendan Smialowski/AFP

President Trump’s planned rally in Tulsa on Saturday is a “perfect storm” for spreading the coronavirus, according to health officials who urged it to be moved outdoors to limit infection.

Mr Trump, who has been eager to resume rallies halted by the pandemic in March, claimed on Monday “almost one million” people had requested tickets to the 20,000-capacity venue.

Speaking to reporters on Monday afternoon, the president praised the “magnificent arena” in Tulsa and said he expected it to be full. “We’ve never had an empty seat,” he claimed. He said he was considering using a nearby convention centre to hold an additional 40,000 people.

Tulsa’s health director called on the president to postpone the event and the Tulsa World newspaper wrote yesterday (Monday): “We can’t see any way that his visit will be good for the city.”

The rally has already been delayed a day after complaints that it originally fell on Juneteenth, an annual June 19 commemoration of the end of slavery.

“It’s a perfect storm set-up: the idea of tons of people, where one sick person can have an impact of generating secondary cases on this immense level, where it’s indoors, where there’s no ventilation,” Nahid Bhadelia, of the special pathogens unit at Boston University School of Medicine, told NBC.

Bruce Dart, the Tulsa health department director, said: “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.”

Mr Trump, 74, has been leading calls for businesses and schools to reopen, even though cases are rising in 22 states.

The Times