Trump’s Rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma and current situation in the State

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US President Donald Trump has resumed election campaign and planned to address a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He first planned a campaign rally in March 2020 but paused due to widespread coronavirus. Now, Oklahoma has experienced the highest percentage spike in COVID-19 cases in the United States. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) has indicated the figures show 591 new cases Covid-19 recorded in Oklahoma on Monday, with a 7.7% increase. The Trump campaign is set to go ahead at the BOK Center in Tulsa, a 19,000-seat indoor venue, in spite of the increasing numbers. The US Vice President Mike Pence has claimed the state had flattened the curve on Monday.

Pence said, “One of the reasons we chose Oklahoma is because Oklahoma has done such a remarkable job in reopening their state”. The head of Tulsa’s health department, Dr. Bruce Dart raised concerns about the event and suggested the state had not contained the disease. He said, “COVID-19 is here in Tulsa, it is transmitting very efficiently. I wish we could postpone this to a time when the virus isn’t as large a concern as it is today”. On Monday, President claimed that almost one million people had requested tickets for the Tulsa rally, in spite of the capacity of the stadium. Point to be noted that the population of Tulsa is just over 400,000.

It is noteworthy that new coronavirus infections hit record highs on Tuesday in 6 US states. But, most states across the country continue with the reopening of their economies. So, Arizona, Florida, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Texas reported a significant number of increases in new cases on Tuesday after recording all-time highs last week. The health department raised concerns the rally will lead to a spike in coronavirus cases in the state. On Wednesday, the state experienced more than 7,800 confirmed cases and 359 deaths. Pence said, “We’ve had such an overwhelming response that we’re also looking at another venue, we’re also looking at outside activities. And I know the campaign team will keep the public informed as that goes forward”.