Two more staff members of U.S. President Donald Trump's campaign rally tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) following Saturday's rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The workers joined six other staffers from the campaign's advance team, who tested positive hours before the event.
A spokesman for the President confirmed on Monday that the two workers attended the President's indoor rally at the Bank of Oklahoma (BOK) Center in Tulsa.
This happened despite earlier assurances that no staff infected with COVID-19 will be allowed to enter the arena.
The two workers had tested positive after going through another round of testing following the event, the New York Times reported.
Tim Murtaugh, the campaign's communications director, said the staff members wore masks during the rally.
He claimed that the campaign organizers launched contact-tracing protocols and immediately placed the two staffers in quarantine after their test results were released.
It is still unclear whether the two personnel had been in contact with the President or Vice President Mike Pence.
Oklahoma Rally
On Saturday morning, Trump's aides revealed that six other members of his campaign's advance team tested positive for the virus.
The campaign organizers claimed that the alarming development only represented a small fraction of the hundreds of tests they performed on staff members before the event.
Trump's campaign forged ahead despite multiple recommendations from health officials to delay large indoor gatherings following the recent spikes in COVID-19 cases in the state.
While the President's campaign manager, Brad Parscale, promised a huge crowd, the Tulsa fire department recorded only 6,200 people.
Parscale blamed protestors of blocking access to metal detectors inside the arena, preventing Trump supporters from entering.
The sparse crowd allegedly infuriated the President, his daughter Ivanka, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Saturday's rally has earned widespread criticism after the President suggested slowing down tests to reduce the number of reported coronavirus cases, according to a previous article.
Trump also drew flak after calling the virus "kung flu" during his Saturda rally.
In a press briefing on Monday, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany defended the President's statement, claiming it was "fair" to point out that the virus originated from China.
"It's a fair thing to point out. As China tries to ridiculously rewrite history, ridiculously blame the coronavirus on American soldiers - this is what China is trying to do. Well, President Trump is saying, 'No, China, I will label this virus for its place of origin,'" she said.
When asked for the White House's response to Asian-Americans who may have been offended by Trump's statement, McEnany said the President highlighted the importance of protecting the members of the Asian community living in the United States, the CNN reported.
The press secretary also cited other news outlets, who use "Wuhan virus" when describing the novel coronavirus.
Early this spring, Trump used the phrases "Chinese virus" and the "China virus" when referring to the novel coronavirus.
However, harsh criticism forced the President to stop using the terms.
