What virus? At GOP’s convention, pandemic is largely ignored

WASHINGTON (AP) — It was a stunning scene in a country where parents and children have been laid to rest without their loved ones present, schools have gone to online-only learning and businesses have shut their doors to halt the spread of the coronavirus.

On Thursday night, about 1,500 people gathered on the South Lawn of the White House so President Donald Trump could accept his party’s nomination for reelection in front of a roaring crowd. Masks were not required and chairs were placed inches apart from one another, with no room for social distancing, in violation of endless public health recommendations.

Only those the White House expected to be in “close proximity” to the president and vice president had been tested for COVID-19. Continue reading.