Six staffers on President Trump’s campaign team tested positive for coronavirus and will not attend the major campaign rally Saturday night in Tulsa, Okla., the Trump campaign said.
The news of the campaign COVID-19 infections comes as Tulsa County is experiencing a spike in new confirmed cases, and Trump’s indoor rally has raised concerns that it could be a “super spreader” event for coronavirus.
There were 136 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, the highest one-day total the Tulsa Health Department has ever reported.
Tim Murtaugh, communications director for the Trump campaign, said staff members are tested for COVID-19 before events, per safety protocols.
“Six members of the advance team tested positive out of hundreds of tests performed, and quarantine procedures were immediately implemented,” Murtaugh said in a statement obtained by Fox News. “No COVID-positive staffers or anyone in immediate contact will be at today’s rally or near attendees and elected officials.”
Thousands of Trump supporters are expected at the rally and many have been camped outside the arena for days to secure a spot. The event is Trump’s first major campaign event since the coronavirus pandemic shut down much of the country in March, and is predicted to pack the 19,000-capacity BOK Center.
Murtaugh stressed that the campaign is taking safety precautions.
“As previously announced, all rally attendees are given temperature checks before going through security, at which point they are given wristbands, face masks and hand sanitizer,” he said.
Author: Marisa Schultz, Mark Meredith
Source: Fox News: Six members of Trump advance team in Tulsa test positive for coronavirus
