President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Tulsa in late June “likely contributed” to a dramatic surge in new coronavirus cases.
The Associated Press reports Tulsa City-County Health Department Director Dr. Bruce Dart said made that statement on Wednesday.
Tulsa County reported 261 confirmed new cases on Monday, a one-day record high, and another 206 cases on Tuesday. During the week before the June 20 Trump rally, there were 76 cases on Monday and 96 on Tuesday.
Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said the campaign went to great lengths to ensure that those who attended the rally were protected.
Although masks were provided to rally goers, there was no requirement that participants wear them, and most did not.
Ahead of the rally, the campaign removed thousands of stickers from seats inside the BOK Center that asked attendees to leave open seats between them.
Statewide, Oklahoma health officials on Wednesday reported 673 new confirmed cases of coronavirus, the state’s second-highest daily total since the start of the pandemic.
