President Donald Trump to restart rallies amid COVID-19 pandemic
President Donald Trump is planning to restart rallies in the upcoming weeks amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a campaign spokesperson confirmed on Monday.
Political rallies and public gatherings have been essentially impossible to conduct due to the COVID-19 safety and preventative guidelines.
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According to Politico, “Trump’s advisers are still determining where the rallies will take place and what safety measures will be implemented, depending on the type of venue chosen.”
Images of prior Trump rallies have featured hundreds of attendees standing in close proximity to one another. How rallies could effectively or legally be conducted depends on a certain city or state’s COVID-19 guidelines on social distancing and group gatherings.
In Alabama, entertainment venues such as bowling alleys and arcades have been allowed to reopen withgroup and social distancing guidelines in place. In New York, “all places of public amusement,” such as carnivals and water parks, were ordered to be closed and group gatherings were limited to 10 people.
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Even for cities and states that have begun to reopen parts of their economies, there are still restrictions regarding group gatherings. Some major casinos and resorts in Las Vegas recently reopened their doors but with limitations at how many people could be seated at individual gaming tables. Casinos also designated markers to help maintain social distancing and encouraged guests to wear masks.
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The announcement of Trump’s new rallies follows protests that have been held in major cities across the world over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for an extended period of time. Health officials have previously expressed concern that the protests will worsen the rate of the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Earlier in May, former vice president and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden held a virtual rally event for individuals residing in Tampa, Fla. However, that event did not go as planned due to multiple technical issues.
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Virtual rallies are a way for Biden to target areas that will be crucial for his White House run while still practicing social distancing.
FOX reached out to the Biden campaign on whether the candidate intends to hold in-person rallies similar to those of Trump.