Biden slams Trump visit to Nevada as ‘reckless’

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WASHINGTON, Sept 12, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Democratic presidential nominee
Joe Biden on Saturday slammed President Donald Trump’s “reckless”
decision to hold a rally in Reno, the venue for which had to be
changed because the event breached local Covid-19 restrictions.

The Republican incumbent will speak Saturday evening in the city in
Nevada, a crucial swing state ahead of the November 3 election where
Trump is seeking a second term.

“President Trump can’t hide from the truth,” Biden said in a statement.

“Months after admitting to misleading the American public about the
pandemic, he still has no plan to contain COVID-19, a virus that has
killed more than 1,400 Nevadans, afflicted more than 72,000 residents
and devastated the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of workers
across the Silver State.

“Nevadans don’t need more bluster from the President, and don’t
need his reckless rallies that ignore the realities of COVID-19 and
endanger public health,” Biden added.

Trump had originally sought to speak at the Reno-Tahoe
International Airport, but local officials warned the event would
violate the state’s ban on gatherings of more than 50 people, aimed at
slowing the spread of the coronavirus.

The president instead booked a space at the Minden-Tahoe Airport, a
smaller airport 43 miles (69 kilometers) south of the original venue.

As of Saturday, the coronavirus had infected 6,452,607 Americans
and killed 193,177, making the country by far the hardest-hit in the
world for both tolls.

The continued spread of the pandemic, despite local and state-wide
health and safety measures, have driven many events — including much
of the US presidential campaign — into a virtual format.