Trump holds low turnout rally amid virus fears

GBNEWS24 DESK//

US President Donald Trump has held his first campaign rally since March, when the US coronavirus lockdown began.

Earlier this week, Mr Trump boasted on Twitter that almost a million people had requested tickets for the event at Tulsa’s Bank of Oklahoma Center.

But the 19,000-seat arena was far from full and plans for him to address an outside “overflow” area were abandoned.

There were concerns the event could increase the spread of Covid-19.

Just hours before the rally, the campaign said six staff members involved in organising it had tested positive.

Mr Trump’s re-election campaign rally is one of the biggest indoor gatherings in the US since the country’s Covid-19 outbreak began.

Those attending had to sign a waiver protecting the Trump campaign from responsibility for any illness.

On Friday, Oklahoma’s supreme court rejected a lawsuit asking that social distancing guidelines be followed. However, the Trump campaign said attendees would have to pass temperature checks before being allowed into the venue – and that they would be offered face masks.

More than 2.2 million cases of Covid-19 and 119,000 associated deaths have been reported in the US, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The Trump campaign initially said that the president and Vice-President Mike Pence would first speak at an outdoor stage set up for overflow crowds.

Supporters had begun queuing earlier this week for a chance to get into the arena, amid expectations that at least 100,000 people would gather in central Tulsa.

But when the numbers failed to appear, campaign officials cancelled the outdoor appearance, blaming “radical protesters” and the media for attempting to “frighten off” supporters.

There were some volatile scenes outside the venue but no serious trouble was reported.