President Trump’s re-election campaign says two staffers who attended a weekend rally in Oklahoma tested positive for the coronavirus — in addition to the six detected before the event.
Campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said Monday the aides wore masks and that contact-tracing will determine risk to others who attended the approximately 6,200-person gathering in Tulsa.
“After another round of testing for campaign staff in Tulsa, two additional members of the advance team tested positive for the coronavirus,” Murtaugh said in a statement. “These staff members attended the rally but were wearing masks during the entire event. Upon the positive tests, the campaign immediately activated established quarantine and contact tracing protocols.”
It’s unclear where the staffers are suspected to have contracted the respiratory disease that’s sickened about 2.3 million Americans and killed more than 120,000. Many Trump supporters at the event declined to wear masks offered for free by the campaign.
The Tulsa rally was Trump’s first since March 2 due to the pandemic. Attendance was lighter than expected at the event, which campaign aides blamed on a combination of anti-police brutality protesters and alleged media fear-mongering about the virus.
Initial reports of coronavirus among the campaign’s Tulsa advance team broke shortly before Trump arrived to the venue.
In a statement, Murtaugh said Saturday that “per safety protocols, campaign staff are tested for COVID-19 before events. Six members of the advance team tested positive out of hundreds of tests performed, and quarantine procedures were immediately implemented.”
“No COVID-positive staffers or anyone in immediate contact will be at today’s rally or near attendees and elected officials,” the earlier statement said.
