GREEN BAY, Wis.— Dr. Robert Freedland of La Crosse gets right to the point.
“As physicians, we are now calling on President Trump to cancel his rallies as his own COVID-19 task force advises maximum social distancing — especially in Wisconsin,” the ophthalmologist said.
Freedland was one of two Wisconsin physicians from The Committee To Protect Medicare who spoke on a press call Thursday asking the campaign to reconsider a pair of airport rallies. President Donald Trump is scheduled to be in Janesville and Green Bay Saturday.
“From everything we have seen of President Trump’s campaign rallies, thousands of people stand shoulder to shoulder with the overwhelming majority not wearing masks,” Freedland said. “President Trump’s rallies have the potential to become super-spreader infection events that Wisconsin does not need right now.”
A planned stop in La Crosse was moved Thursday to Janesville in Rock County, where some county officials quickly asked the trip be reconsidered due to the pandemic.
Both the number of cases and deaths are on the rise statewide. Twenty-seven deaths were reported Wednesday and 21 Thursday, bringing the state's total to 1,348 since the start of the pandemic.
Eugene Land will be at the Green Bay event — wearing a mask.
“I don’t see a problem with it because they’ve got groups of people, crowds of people, no matter where you go. Whether they’re at his rallies or anywhere,” he said. “They don’t seem to bother these groups of people who go out and riot and destroy. The liberals say absolutely nothing about it.”
Brookfield neurologist Dr. Ann Helms said the president’s leadership through the pandemic is putting lives at risk, and these stops will only endanger more.
“We know mass gatherings create contact that spreads this disease. It’s not responsible to have gatherings in the setting of a pandemic,” she said. “This has nothing to do with politics from that perspective.”