Coronavirus fears could cast pall over VP’s event in The Villages – Villages-News

Kay Marino of the Village of Silver Lake isnt holding back. She said Vice President Mike Pences Saturday visit to The Villages is a dumb idea.

The vice president is scheduled to appear at 3:30 p.m. at Brownwood Paddock Square.

The gates for the event will open at 1:30 p.m. Tickets were made available online and those with tickets must be in the staging area prior to 3 p.m. in the parking lot behind the Barnstorm Theater.

The stage was set up Friday ahead of the vice presidents appearance Saturday.

Marino said she doesnt have any desire to be in that crowd.

Just because he tests negative doesnt mean he cant pass the virus around to other people. He has been exposed with many other people in the White House. People better smarten up to this virus. How dumb can you be? Marino said.

President Trump is recovering from the Coronavirus and is eager to get back on the campaign trail. Pence continues to say hes been testing negative, but a red eye on debate night earlier this week stoked fears that he is secretly carrying the Coronavirus.

In Florida, more than 720,000 residents have been infected since late February.

Chairs for the Mike Pence event were being set up with social distancing in mind.

Florida Democrats have been critical of Pences role as head of the Trump Administrations Coronavirus Task Force. The Democrats have assembled this timeline of Pence and Coronavirus in Florida:

February 28:0confirmed COVID cases

Days after being named head of the coronavirus task force, Floridians were charged $25,000-per-plate to dine with the Vice President for ahigh dollar fundraiser in Longboat Key, Florida.

May 20:47,471confirmed COVID cases

Pencevisited Orlando to partake in a premature victory lap with DeSantis, during which they held amaskless photo op in Orlando.During this visit,Pencedeclared that Florida hadflattened the curveand DeSantis claimed he had succeeded. Dr. Fauci latersaidFlorida jumped over a couple of checkpoints and reopened too soon.

May 30:55,000confirmed COVID cases

Penceattended the Space X Demo 2 Launch and hisonly reference to the Coronavirus was that the nation was taking its first steps to reopen and recover from an unprecedented pandemic.

July 2:169,106confirmed COVID cases

As the state broke records for daily increases in confirmed COVID cases,Pencevisited Tampa tostumpfor Trump aftercancellinga Great American Comeback bus tour across Florida.

Pencepromisedthat Were going to make sure that Florida has the resources, the medicines, the testing, and the supplies to meet this moment. Not even two weeks later, South Florida hospitalsreportedsupply shortages and three months later, hospitals continued toexperiencesupply shortages.

July 8:223,783confirmed COVID cases

At a White House Coronavirus task force briefing, Pence again claimed that there were early indications that Florida was flattening the curve, despite the positivity rate continuing to rise. His remarks were later denounced as obvious propagandaby the head of the Scripps Research Translational Institute.

July 11:254,511confirmed COVID cases

Penceflouted a local mask mandatefor a private meeting with the Jacksonville RNC Host Committee. He did this as cases in Duval County began spiking and several Northeast Floridahospitals reinstated visitation restrictions.

July 27:432,747confirmed COVID cases

In Miami,Pencetoutedthe the favorable trends that are beginning to emerge here in Florida are a great tribute to the strong leadership of your governor and his administration The positivity rate at the time was11.39 percent.

August 5:500,000confirmed COVID cases

As Floridaannounceda record-high weekly death average and added the highest number of coronavirus hospitalizations in a single day,Penceagain returned for a crowded indoor campaign eventwhere, according to the Tampa Bay Times, as the event progressed inside the ballroom some attendees removed masks to speak to each other.

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Coronavirus fears could cast pall over VP's event in The Villages - Villages-News