Supporters of former U.S. President Donald Trump are waiting for the "Save America" rally at York ... [+]
Tonight, former U.S. President and current Mar-A-Lago resident Donald Trump will be speaking at a rally in Cullman, Alabama. On Thursday, the city declared a state of emergency due to the recent surge in Covid-19 coronavirus infections. Nevertheless, according to this WVTM13 news report, the show will go on:
As you can see in the news segment, one of the rally attendees said that she feels that Trump, a billionaire who inherited his father’s real estate business, “connects with the American people.” The main public health concern though is about something else that may connect with people at the rally: namely the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
The SARS-CoV-2 is not on the rally’s “Prohibited Items” list that’s been circulating on social media:
Considering this “Prohibited Items” list and items that are on it, looks like the rally organizers are prepared just in case a “toaster” or “umbrella” pandemic occurs or anything that may happen with those dreaded “balloons.”
The list includes “balls” as well. So, make sure that you have no balls when attending the rally. It is not completely clear what is meant by the word “structures,” unless this is referring to the engineering journal Structures or the Structure clothing line. Of course, since this photo is being circulated on social media, take it with a grain of salt, in case it turns out to be not authentic. Regardless, make sure that any salt you may use is not in a “package” if you are going to the rally. If the sign is legit, you may not be able to get into the rally unless you have a very, very small package.
According to Landon Wexler, Autumn Bracey, and Drew Taylor reporting for CBS42, the rally will take place at York Farms in Cullman with Trump scheduled to speak at 7 p.m. Gates will open at 2 p.m. Other speakers will precede Trump. Reportedly organizers estimate that around 40,000 people will attend. It’s not clear though where exactly the organizers may have gotten this estimate and whether K-Pop fans may have affected this number. A statement from Trump did say that the rally will have a “huge crowd”:
But, of course, ‘huge’ is relative and subjective.
Additionally, Trump’s message mentioned “bringing our Country back.” The public health concern about “huge” events like this is that they may help bring the U.S. back to 2020 when the virus was spreading in an uncontrolled manner and a series of superspreader events occurred including one at the White House. Without an appropriate amount of social distancing and face mask wearing, this event could become yet another Covid-19 coronavirus superspreader event. Last month, I covered for Forbes similar concerns about the Lollapalooza event in Chicago, Illinois. Aerosols is on the “Prohibited Items” list but that doesn’t mean there won’t be aerosolized virus in the air at the rally.
Alabama is at particularly high risk for superspreading. It has one of the lowest Covid-19 vaccination rates in the country with only about 36.1% being fully vaccinated. Alabama has run out of intensive care unit (ICU) beds and hospitals are overwhelmed as MSNBC reported here:
The U.S. made progress against the pandemic in the Spring of 2021 when large segments of the population were getting vaccinated while social distancing and face mask wearing were slowing the spread of the virus. However that progress seemed to lead to a premature relaxation of Covid-19 precautions, and now the more contagious Delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 is spreading. Big portions of the U.S. remain unvaccinated yet at the same time seem unwilling to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, giving the Covid-19 coronavirus quite an opportunity to rally.
In the middle of the pandemic, it is risky to attend any events where social distancing and face mask wearing are not enforced. If you must attend gatherings like this rally, in addition to not having any balls, try to layer on as many Covid-19 precautions as possible, even if you are fully vaccinated. Stay at least six feet away from others. Wear a face mask. And for Pete’s sake, don’t bring a toaster.
