National Park Service staffers who worked the Fourth of July celebration headlined by President Trump
Donald John TrumpProtesters tear down statue of Christopher Columbus in Baltimore ‘Independence Day’ star Bill Pullman urges Americans to wear a ‘freedom mask’ in July 4 PSA Protesters burn American flag outside White House after Trump’s July Fourth address MORE at Mount Rushmore on Friday were not required to get coronavirus tests ahead of the event, according to a Saturday report by CNN.
Agency spokeswoman Dana Soehn told CNN that staffers followed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines at the event, with masks available to all and social distancing encouraged. However, the state did not require masks or social distancing at the event, which drew approximately 7,500 people, and CNN reported that only some staffers were spotted in masks.
Staffers were encouraged to self-monitor, report any symptoms they may have had and stay home from work if they were unwell.
“None of the Incident Management Team members for the event have reported exhibiting any symptoms or feeling unwell,” Soehn said in a statement to CNN.
In South Dakota, cases of coronavirus have largely remained stable in recent weeks, and the CDC has said outdoor areas are less risky than indoor spaces for the spread of COVID-19.
The implementation of coronavirus prevention measures at large in-person gatherings has gained heightened attention as the U.S. has seen record-breaking numbers of new cases in multiple states and the nation as a whole over the last few weeks.
As many as 10 Secret Service and other law enforcement agents working during an Arizona visit by Vice President Pence this week have shown symptoms of COVID-19, with at least one testing positive so far.
Coronavirus cases also spiked by 90 percent in Tulsa, Okla., the site of a rally held by the president in June.
Trump has dismissed rising cases as recently as Saturday, attributing the climbing number to successful testing.
“Cases, Cases, Cases! If we didn’t test so much and so successfully, we would have very few cases,” the president tweeted on the afternoon of July Fourth. “If you test 40,000,000 people, you are going to have many cases that, without the testing (like other countries), would not show up every night on the Fake Evening News.”
