South Dakota Governor Noem: 'We won't be social distancing' at July 3 Mount Rushmore celebration
Mount Rushmore National Memorial on April 23, 2020, in Keystone, South Dakota. - The steep roads that wind their way to Mount Rushmore are completely deserted. The South Dakota tourist mecca attracts only a few clusters of visitors happy to escape th (Getty Images)
FOX 9 - Social distancing won't be required at the celebration at Mount Rushmore that President Donald Trump will be attending, according to South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem.
The Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration will be held on July 3. Attendance will be limited to about 7,500 people through an online lottery system.
In an appearance Monday night on The Ingraham Angle on FOX News, Governor Noem said free masks will be available at the event "if they choose to wear one".
"But we won’t be social distancing," said Gov. Noem. "We’re asking them to come, be ready to celebrate to enjoy the freedoms and the liberties we have in this country and to talk about our history and what it brought us today with an opportunity to raise our kids in the greatest country in the world."
The CDC lists the risk of COVID-19 spreading at gatherings at "highest risk" for "large in-person gatherings where it is difficult to remain spaced at least 6 feet apart and attendees travel from outside the local area." Health officials have also pushed for the use of face masks, saying it helps reduce the spread of the disease.