White House chief says protective masks will be 'strongly encouraged' at Trump's rally

At US President Donald Trump’s next re-election rally, the protective masks will be “strongly encouraged”, the White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said in a televised address, as per a news agency report. Trump’s Republican campaign is looking forward to conduct an outdoor rally in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on July 11.  

While speaking with a leading US broadcaster on a show that aired on July 6, Meadows said, Obviously we're looking forward to being in the Granite State and back with the folks up in New Hampshire, and as we look at that it's more a factor of precaution. Further, he added, There will be ample access to hand sanitizer and all attendees will be provided a face mask that they are strongly encouraged to wear. The decision comes after Trump’s controversial large-scale Tulsa rally earned backlash and witnessed empty seats where masks were optional.  

Defending his decision, earlier, Trump was heard saying at a press conference that despite the coronavirus pandemic, “we have to get back to living our lives" and "we're going to have a wild evening night".  He had also described masks as “double-edged sword”. However, people were witnessed in the streets of downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma wearing face masks despite Trump’s stance on the advisory, while largely, crowd flouted the social distancing norms and health safety measures. The rally was conducted inside Tulsa’s BOK Center, which had a capacity of 19,000, however, the turnout remained well below Trump’s expectation due to the safety risks amid the coronavirus pandemic.  

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Important to follow the CDC guidelines

While earlier, Trump’s recommendations at his republican rally stood at odds with the US top health experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci this time recommend the attendees wear a protective mask. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a live-streamed program aired by a US broadcaster, “So the campaign has been very clear that not only will we be giving out masks but we recommend the wearing of those masks. It's very important to follow the CDC guidelines."  

At least 8 members of the campaign’s staff from Trump’s Tulsa rally had contracted coronavirus on June 20, as per reports. A senior campaign official and the girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr., Kimberly Guilfoyle, and former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain were among those that tested positive.  

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