WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump's spokeswoman defended the White House plans to hold numerous holiday season receptions and parties despite the pandemic, saying if it's safe for Americans to "loot businesses," then it's safe for them to celebrate indoors.
"If you can loot businesses, burn down buildings, engage in protests, you can also go to a Christmas party," White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters at a briefing Wednesday. "You can celebrate the holiday of Christmas, and you can do it responsibly."
The remark appeared to be a jab at people who have joined nationwide protests against police brutality.
The Washington Post reported Tuesday that the White House plans to hold at least 25 Christmas and Hanukkah parties during Trump's final holiday season in Washington.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised Americans that staying home during the holidays is the best way to avoid contracting covid-19 as the virus surges around the country.
"The People's House will celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah while providing the safest environment possible," first lady Melania Trump's Chief of Staff Stephanie Grisham said in an email.
She said the parties will have "smaller guest lists," and people attending will be required to wear masks. Social distancing will be "encouraged," hand sanitizer stations will be set up in areas of the White House used for the celebrations, and buffets will be replaced with plated dishes served from "Plexiglas-protected food stations," among other precautions, she said.
"Attending the parties will be a very personal choice," she said. She did not say how many parties the White House is planning to host.
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POMPEO PARTIES
Separately, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has invited hundreds of guests to large indoor holiday parties after State Department leadership sent out a notice to employees last week recommending that "any non-mission critical events" be changed to "virtual events as opposed to in-person gatherings."
U.S. event planners were told that the guidance from the State Department did not apply to the coming functions hosted by Pompeo and his wife, Susan Pompeo.
Pompeo's lineup of parties in the next three weeks comes as the Trump administration's own health experts are imploring Americans to limit travel and avoid large gatherings amid a pandemic that has killed more than 273,000 Americans and infected nearly 14 million people across the United States.
A copy of one invitation, obtained by The Washington Post, welcomes guests to a Dec. 15 event titled "Diplomacy at Home for the Holidays" in the Benjamin Franklin Room, the department's flagship reception space, which features cut-glass chandeliers and towering Corinthian columns. Invitations have already gone out to 900 people, said two U.S. officials familiar with the planning, raising concerns about a potential superspreader event.
"I'm flabbergasted," said Ian Lipkin, director of the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University. "An indoor event of this kind is dangerous on so many levels."
A State Department spokesman said "we plan to fully enforce social distancing measures at this reception, and face coverings are mandatory for admittance."
When asked how he could expect attendees to keep masks on at a reception that serves food and drinks, the spokesman did not offer a response. He also did not explain how the department would enforce social distancing, if even a fraction of the 900 guests show up.
"All proper food and beverage safety precautions will be taken by catering services and staff -- all will wear gloves and masks, and any food or beverage will be served individually," said the spokesman.
The Dec. 15 event is for the families of officials serving in embassies and consulates abroad that don't accommodate spouses or children, such as in Pakistan, Iraq and Cuba. In past years, more than 200 people have attended, and diplomats have flown in to attend, though the spokesman said he doesn't have any indications yet that anyone will be coming from abroad this year.
Two other holiday parties in the coming days have also raised safety concerns at the department given their size. On Dec. 16, Pompeo will host a reception for the Washington Diplomatic Corps at the State Department. Invitations have gone out to about 180 foreign ambassadors, who are allowed to bring spouses, officials said.
The invitation could put foreign diplomats in a difficult position as they weigh the benefits of getting face-time with the secretary of state and the risk of infection.
Top health officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious-disease expert, have warned that holiday gatherings may cause a surge in cases this month.
"What we expect, unfortunately, as we go for the next couple of weeks into December, is that we might see a surge superimposed on the surge we are already in," Fauci told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday. "I don't want to frighten people, except to say it is not too late to do something about this."
Information for this article was contributed by Justin Sink of Bloomberg News; and by John Hudson of The Washington Post