President Trump’s rally this past Friday afternoon in The Villages left behind lingering fears about the potential spread of COVID-19 in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown.
Thousands of the Trump faithful, many of them without masks, attended the event at The Villages Polo Fields. The rally featured food trucks, loud music and lots of cheering for the president’s re-election effort.
Villagers who did not attend the rally are apparently worried about the Trump fans who were there and subsequently carried out their regular routines of swimming in neighborhood pools, visiting recreation centers and shopping at Publix.
“I hope the people who attended the rally had a wonderful time. Now I hope they quarantine themselves for 14 days to be sure they didn’t contract the virus and don’t spread it to others. If it could happen at the Rose Garden, it can happen in The Villages,” said Carol Stewart of the Village of Tall Trees.
She described the Trump rally as “a super spreader event” that could pose a risk to Villagers who chose not to attend out of concerns about the pandemic.
“Does The Villages really care about the health of Villagers or the national media attention and sale of houses?” she asked.
Bob Avery of the Village of Charlotte said The Villages seems to be going overboard on some aspects of COVID-19 protection, but throwing caution to the wind by inviting Trump to a massive rally.
“Why it is OK with The Villages to have 10,000 people shoulder-to-shoulder at a rally, with many people not wearing masks, and not OK to be able to get a drink of water at any of the public drinking fountains?” he wondered.
John Philpot, who lives in the Oak Meadows section of The Villages, predicted that a local spike in the number of COVID-19 cases could be seen locally.
“The president has failed us all. We need to practice social distancing, wear masks and avoid meeting in large groups. Holding large rallies just to massage your ego, while putting thousands in danger, is not being a good leader. A good leader, leads by example, not by wishing the virus away and telling us for the last seven months that we’re rounding the corner,” Philpot said.
