Trump Rally Hands Scientists a Test Case for Superspreader Event
Thousands of the president's supporters are about to pack into an arena in Tulsa, where Covid-19 cases are skyrocketing.
Trump supporters pose for photos with a giant Trump flag outside BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 18.
Photographer: Win McNamee/Getty Images
The street protests that spread around the globe following George Floyd’s death while detained by Minneapolis police in late May haven’t sparked the surge in coronavirus infections that public health officials first feared. Now, they have something new to fret about on the eve of President Donald Trump’s indoor political rally to kick off his re-election bid.
The event, scheduled for Saturday in Tulsa’s BOK Center, marks the first large indoor public event since the country all but shut down in mid-March to slow the spread of the coronavirus. In that sense, it’s a test case in using huge indoor arenas to host big public gatherings for sports matches and concerts. Making matters dicier, it’s in the middle of a city and state where cases have skyrocketed since the beginning of June.