Cumberland County health director advises Fayetteville Trump rally attendees to wear masks
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Trump campaign announced Monday night that President Trump's Great American Comeback rally will take place in Fayetteville on Saturday.
While his visit is welcomed by many, health officials have said if proper measures aren't taken, COVID-19 numbers could tip in the wrong direction.
"When you're in a crowded setting, it's harder to maintain that six-foot distance. We want to make sure that even in an outdoor setting that people are practicing measures that we know works when it comes to slowing the spread of COVID-19," said Cumberland County Public Health Director Dr. Jennifer Green.
Just five days before President Trump's rally at the Fayetteville Regional Airport, Dr. Green is requesting Trump supporters to take precautions.
The Trump campaign has not released how many supporters it is expecting this weekend, but the numbers could be in the thousands. Previously, Trump rallies were filled with supporters wearing few masks and no social distancing.
Dr. Green said if you're going to attend, plan to practice the 3 Ws.
"When you have more people at an event that makes contacts tracing more challenging. We have more names to call and more people we have to notify. We want to make sure the public is doing everything they can to avoid the spread at an event this size," said Green.
After his visit to Winston-Salem last week, the Forsyth County Public Health Director told ABC11 it's too soon to tell if there was a spike following the rally last week.
Cumberland County now has more than 4,800 positive COVID-19 cases with 79 deaths. This is ahead of President Trump's third North Carolina visit this month.
Dr. Green advises those who are most vulnerable to consider other ways to participate in the event.
