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the bombshell news that u.s president donald trump and first lady melania trump tested positive for covid-19 shocked the world in the early hours of friday morning. this, not long after his close advisor, hope hicks, came down with the highly infectious disease.
the u.s. centers for disease control suggests individuals who decide to engage in public activities should take preventative actions . these have all become familiar over the last six months: washing your hands often, avoiding touching your face, maintaining physical distance with other people, and covering your nose and mouth with a face mask when in close proximity to others — especially indoors and when it’s hard to maintain six feet of distance.
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trump has largely continued his presidency with a business-as-usual style, travelling across the country, meeting with aides and other leaders. he has only been seen wearing a mask on a handful of occasions. his close aides have also been known to shun masks , though the first lady was photographed arriving at the recent presidential debate with her nose and mouth covered.
in canada’s guide to going out safely during the pandemic, it warns individuals to avoid closed spaces, crowded places and close contact with other people. a number of its “high risk” activities involve large groups of people clustered inside: large religious/cultural gatherings; watching sporting events in arenas and stadium; conferences; music concerts or places where people are singing or shouting; and indoor parties.
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similarly, the texas medical association’s covid-19 risk chart classifies big group events as high risk: attending a large music concert; going to a sports stadium; or attending a religious service with 500-plus worshippers. though it doesn’t explicity site political rallies, it’s clear that indoor events with a mass of people are considered high risk.
trump chose not to cancel his larger rallies, such as the indoor events in tulsa, oklahoma and tucson, arizona, where some of his speeches have been clocked at more than an hour in length. there were also plans to hold a mass gathering in the battleground state of wisconsin this month.
the cdc says travel increases your chance of getting and spreading covid-19 and has often recommended people stay home during the pandemic. it cautions that “airports, bus stations, train stations, and rest stops are all places travellers can be exposed to the virus in the air and on surfaces. these are also places where it can be hard to social distance. in general, the longer you are around a person with covid-19, the more likely you are to get infected.”
other agencies, such as the texas medical association have classified travelling by plane as a “moderate-high risk,” ranking it similarly to other activities such as hugging or shaking hands with a friend or eating inside a restaurant.
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since the first few cases of covid-19 appeared in the united states, the president has been largely optimistic that the virus would go away on its own . in the presidential debate on tuesday, he chided democratic presidential nominee joe biden for frequently wearing a mask.
