Salute fireworks to America 2020 from DC

07/06/2020 Business, Health, Sports


WASHINGTON

While public health officials urged Americans to avoid large crowds and hold quieter Independence Day celebrations amid a spike in coronavirus cases, President Donald Trump grew big for what he promised as a “night” special “in the nation’s capital.

Trump celebrated his “Salute to America” ​​celebration on Saturday with a White House South Lawn speech celebrating the American heritage, a military overpass over Washington, and a massive fireworks display that drew thousands to the National Mall. .

Watch the celebration of “2020 Salute to America”.

The celebration came a day after Trump kicked off the holiday weekend by traveling to Mount Rushmore to see a fireworks show near the iconic mountain carvings of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. The President made a fiery speech accusing protesters who have pressed for racial justice of participating in a “ruthless campaign to end our history.”

Trump participated in the large gatherings, even as many communities decided to scrap fireworks, parades, and other Christmas traditions to try to prevent further spread of the virus that they fear could be spurred by large Christmas gatherings.

Still, Trump insisted on moving ahead with large gatherings, including the Mount Rushmore event for which South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, a Trump ally, insisted that social distancing was not necessary and the masks were optional. Trump spent little time in his Mount Rushmore speech reflecting on the pandemic, which has killed more than 129,000 Americans.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that mass gatherings like the one in Washington pose a high risk of spreading the virus.

Last month, he held his first campaign rally since early March in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Trump is used to crowded crowds, but the BOK Center was only about a third full for the coronavirus-era president's first rally. Days later, he headed to a packed megachurch for a Students for Trump event in Arizona. Few attendees at any of the events wore masks.

Interior officials planned to deliver 300,000 facial covers to onlookers who gathered Saturday at the National Mall. Interior Department Secretary David Bernhardt said visitors are encouraged to wear masks and to stay within 6 feet. each other. There was no indication that it was mandatory, despite the recommendations of health officials.

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, who said she had no right to shut down the Christmas show because she is on federal land, warned the federal government of the obvious dangers of such a large crowd. On Friday, she urged city residents to be smart about how they spend the holidays.

"Just because someone invites you to a party doesn't mean you have to go," Bowser tweeted on Friday.

Elsewhere, governors and local officials pleaded with residents to take precautions while celebrating the holiday.

In California, which has seen an increase in cases in recent weeks, Governor Gavin Newsom asked residents not to meet with people they don't live with and to avoid crowds. Fireworks shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and other parts of the state were canceled to prevent large crowds from forming.

"Happy 4th of July weekend and wear a mask," Newsom told residents of his state.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker urged businesses and residents to comply with public health measures during the July 4 holiday weekend, warning that precautions were essential to continue to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Pritzker warned that he will not hesitate to close businesses that do not meet capacity requirements, and encouraged people to avoid large crowds and wear face covers.

"Letting our guard down now would blow off the progress we've made over many months," Pritzker said.

Some Americans hope to settle for their own fireworks displays.

At Casey's fireworks on Friday in Columbia, South Carolina, most of the masked shoppers passed through the aisles, selecting their own explosives after some annual shows on July 4 were canceled due to COVID-19.

Health officials have seen an increase in cases where the state only follows Arizona and Florida in the 14-day average of newly diagnosed population-adjusted COVID-19 cases.

The fireworks store, like many across the country, has been an unexpected beneficiary as more Americans have decided to put on their own shows. The increase in sales began on Memorial Day.

"This whole COVID thing has been really bad," said Forest Casey, a fourth-generation fireworks vendor at the family store. "But, for whatever reason, it makes people really want to buy fireworks."

South Carolina has some of the most liberal fireworks laws in the nation. Stalls across the state sell pyrotechnic bricks that fire a dozen or more rounds of explosions that rival the annual small-town show.

Some said they are trying to make the best of the situation. Jamie Parrott, a local pediatric neurologist, said he intends to stay home with his grandchildren, lighting fireworks safely and eating hamburgers.

"Let's get out of trouble," said Parrott.