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Is Trump holding Covid-19 'superspreader rally' at Winston-Salem? Internet reminds him about Sturgis incident

The people at Winston-Salem neither maintained social distancing nor follow pandemic protocol of wearing masks

While the country is still reeling under the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, it has not stopped President Donald Trump from putting more American lives in peril. Despite the surging rise in Covid-19 cases, he continues to hold rallies to campaign for his re-election this year.

After the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally held in August at South Dakota acted as a superspreader taking the virus cases to 260,000, Trump's rally at Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is said to be the new "superspreader". The rally, held on September 8, in a packed and crowded environment at Winston-Salem saw those attending flouting social distancing measures.

Trump supporters could be seen without masks in several videos that surfaced on the Internet. Moreover, Trump himself did not wear a mask during his appearance at the rally. Before the rally, the Republican chairman of the local county commission said that the POTUS should wear a mask during his speech. "The President of the United States sets an example for everybody else. You can hear it: if the President of the United States says 'I don't have to wear it, I'm not going to wear it.' And I can guarantee you that will be done," said David Plyler, the chairman of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners, according to a CNN report.

However, this advice may be hard for Trump to follow especially after he has been ridiculing his rival Joe Biden for wearing masks and demanding reporters to remove their face masks when asking him questions in a recent White House news conference. A user tweeted footage of the rally that reportedly garnered huge support for Trump but has looming fears of giving rise to new cases amid the pandemic.

Other videos of the rally show several people, some old and most of them young, sitting behind Trump without masks. "AMAZING support for President Trump in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. ATTN: @GMA @MADDOW @NIH @WHO @CDC @HHSGov. With more than 190,000 Americans DEAD from COVID-19 Trump's Press Secretary posted this footage of what looks like #superspreader event which could prove fatal for his supporters."

Journalist Benny Johnson tweeted about the rally, "TRUMP: 'We’ve decided to call all our rallies peaceful protests'."

Another journalist Garrett Haake tweeted a picture of the rally showing how no measures are being followed by people. “Hello from Winston-Salem, NC where hundreds await Trump at an outdoor rally. Attendees have their temperature checked as they arrive, & signs encourage mask-wearing. I’d say ~10% are wearing masks. No distancing to speak of. Outdoor events in NC are capped at 50 people."

No sooner did the videos drop on the Internet, people started to lash out at Trump over creating another superspreader event. They warned the jam-packed crowd of Trump supporters to stay there and not further spread the virus if they contract it from the rally. “Just wait for the numbers after the super spreader rally in Winston Salem NC! No social distancing!Very few mask-wearing!!”

"All those people attending that Winston-Salem rally with their no mask, no social distancing asses need to stay there. Don't infect others," warned a user.

Another user, comparing Trump’s rally to Sturgis, stated how such crowd-pulling events can prove to be a threat. "We have been witnessing 'insanity' on a grand scale, right before our eyes, with these rallies, political, motorcycle or otherwise. People just don't seem to learn."

However, some are still content with such rallies and are supportive of Trump’s campaign events. "That is a huge crowd. Nc will be a state won by the President....citizens are tired of virus campaign strategy."

Another concurred, “It's amazing people on complaining about the Covid-19 spreading by his campaign with crowds. But damn sure don't hear anything about the same people complaining about the protesters spreading Covid-19. TRUMP 2020.”