Four at RNC in Charlotte Tested Positive For Covid-19 – Are Republicans to Blame for Not Keeping Social Distance?

Two participants and two staffers working at the Republic National Convention in Charlotte, NC, have tested positive for the novel virus, the Mecklenburg County officials confirmed Friday.

They were isolated, and all people they were in contact with had been traced and alerted. It is unclear whether they showed any symptoms or not.

Charlotte officials already raised concerns over the lack of social distancing at the event. Videos on social media showed that very few attendees were wearing masks. Also, many delegates posed together for photographs, ignoring the social distancing recommendations.

However, the Republican party took some precautions. They used some special badges that logged their movement in case contract traces needed to warn them about possible infections.

Mecklenburg health authorities confirmed that they had conducted 792 coronavirus tests among the participants, and only four turned out positive. Therefore, the convention has not yet proven to be any super-spreader event.

Most of the GOP’s events over the past four nights took place in Washington DC. It culminated with a speech by President Trump in front of a crowd on the White House lawn. Very few people took into consideration the coronavirus recommendations. The majority did not wear masks and did not observe social distancing.

Charlotte’s Mecklenburg County has been hit hard by the novel virus. It recorded 25,000 positive cases since the beginning of the pandemic. It is worth mentioning that the average case counts have been dropping lately, from a peak of more than 300 cases in July to as little as 100 new confirmed cases every day now.

According to the local health authorities, most infected people were under the age of 60. Young Hispanic adults are disproportionally likely to contract the disease, the health department noted.

Austin Cook, the North Carolina Democratic Party spokeswoman, commented that the decision to hold a pared-down convention in Charlotte was ”a slap in the face” of the locals and all North Carolinians.

Earlier in the summer, President Trump and his election team were forced to abandon plans to organize his traditional campaign rallies after an event in Tulsa, Oklahoma was barely attended due to coronavirus concerns. Back then, several team members of his campaign and the Secret Service agents who were present also tested positive for the novel virus.

What do you think? Is President Trump setting a good example by ignoring federal safety recommendations?