Photos posted on social media from several White House correspondents show that the thousands of President Donald Trump supporters attending  his Republican National Convention acceptance speech on the South Lawn of the White House will not be social distancing.

In the hours before the event began, White House reporters surveyed the campaign’s set-up for the speech and sent pictures of the thousands of white chairs for the audience, which were positioned just inches away from their neighbors.

CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller posted one photo just before 7:00 p.m. EDT. It showed dozens of attendees for Trump’s speech had already passed through the extensive security screenings for the event. They did not leave every other or every third seat open and instead were sitting shoulder to shoulder. It was not clear from the photo if those who had already arrived were wearing masks.

“His campaign says a leading medical firm was hired to ensure that ‘certain proper protocols’ are in place for the health and safety of GOP convention venues,” Knoller noted, without further detail.

Guests start taking their seats 3 1/2 hours before the 1030pm speech by Pres Trump. His campaign says a leading medical firm was hired to ensure that “certain proper protocols” are in place for the health and safety of GOP convention venues. pic.twitter.com/5fDRMJ62Dp

— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) August 27, 2020

Other correspondents posted their own photos, clearly showing the chair arrangement would make it all but impossible to stay at least six feet apart from others in the crowd.

No social distancing with this seat configuration on the South Lawn for the president’s final night of his convention. pic.twitter.com/3Z3aORGFoQ

— Kelly O’Donnell (@KellyO) August 27, 2020

Chairs are in place on the White House south lawn, where guests will be sitting shoulder to shoulder for the President’s acceptance speech.

Campaign officials say they are following “strict protocols”. pic.twitter.com/qnOjvs5Kll

— Weijia Jiang (@weijia) August 27, 2020

It’s a sight I never before imagined: the South Lawn of the White House transformed into the stage of a political convention. pic.twitter.com/Yurupt3Zse

— jonkarl (@jonkarl) August 27, 2020

CDC guidelines about best practices for social distancing are clear:

“It is safest to avoid crowded places and gatherings where it may be difficult to stay at least 6 feet away from others who are not from your household. If you are in a crowded space, try to keep 6 feet of space between yourself and others at all times, and wear a mask. Masks are especially important in times when physical distancing is difficult. …Allow other people 6 feet of space when you pass by them in both indoor and outdoor settings.”

The audience at Vice President Mike Pence’s RNC acceptance speech on Wednesday night was more spread out — and the number of attendees was much smaller, about 150 people, than the roughly 2,000 who are expected for the RNC’s culminating event. However, the campaign did not test everyone who attended Pence’s speech for Covid-19, the vice president’s chief of staff Marc Short acknowledged on Thursday. In addition, TV coverage showed that a vast majority of the audience did not wear masks and many gathered together closer than six feet after the speech, prompting alarm from some cable news commentators.

from Mediaite https://ift.tt/2D4ofdW