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While public health officials are urging Americans to avoid large crowds and hold more muted July 4 celebrations amid a spike of coronavirus cases, President Donald Trump is going big for what he is promising will be a “special evening” in the nation's capital.
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Trump is set hold his “Salute for America” celebration Saturday with a speech from the White House South Lawn that he says will celebrate American heritage, a military flyover over Washington, and an enormous fireworks display that is expected to draw thousands to the National Mall.
Trump is taking part in large gatherings even as many communities have decided to scrap fireworks, parades and other holiday traditions to try to prevent further spread of the virus.
The US's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cautions that mass gatherings like the one scheduled for Washington present a high risk for spread of Covid-19.
Trumps Surgeon General Jerome Adams, who has stepped up his call for Americans to wear a mask in public, on Friday sat on the fence when asked during an interview whether he would caution a loved one from attending such large gatherings.
“Its not a yes or no,” Adams told NBCs Today Show. “Every single person has to make up their own mind. There are people going to beaches, going to barbecues, going to different environments and they are going to have to look at their individual risk.”
Trump wants return to normal
Trump has been aching to see the nation return to normalcy, and has been willing to push the envelope further than many state and major city mayors are willing to go.
Last month, he held his first campaign rally since early March in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Trump is accustomed to jam-packed crowds, but the BOK Center was only about a third full for the president's first rally of the coronavirus era. Days later, he addressed a packed megachurch for a Students for Trump event in Arizona. Few attendees at either event wore masks.
Interior officials said they would hand out 300,000 face coverings to spectators who gather on the National Mall. Interior Department Secretary David Bernhardt said visitors would be encouraged to wear masks and keep a six-foot distance from one another. There was no indication that would be mandatory, despite the recommendations of health officials.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, who said she didn't have the right to shut down the holiday spectacle because its on federal land, warned the federal government about the obvious dangers of such a large crowd. On Friday, she urged the citys residents to be smart about how they spend the holiday.
Elsewhere, governors and local officials pleaded with residents to take precautions as they celebrate the holiday.
In California, which has seen a surge of cases in recent weeks, Governor Gavin Newsom asked residents not to gather with people they dont live with and to avoid crowds. Firework shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and elsewhere in the state were cancelled to keep large crowds from forming
“Happy Fourth of July weekend, and wear a mask,” Newsom told his state's residents.
Illinois Governor J B Pritzker urged businesses and residents to comply with public health measures over the July 4 holiday weekend, warning that precautions were essential to continue to slow the spread of Covid-19.
Pritzker warned he wont hesitate to close down businesses that donRead More – Source
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