24 Died in Record Flood Ravaging Southern Provinces

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8 December 2020, 10:30

A couple braves a flooded road in Nakhon Si Thammarat province on Dec. 3, 2020.

NAKHON SI THAMMARAT — Flash floods spanning across five provinces in the south of Thailand have killed at least 24 people, the disaster mitigation department said Monday evening.

Since Nov. 25, the flood has damaged or forced evacuation in more than 282,691 households in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani, Trang, Phatthalung, and Songkhla, according to the department. The flood’s extent also eclipsed those of recent decades in some districts. Officials blame heavy monsoon downpours for the disaster.

As water levels began to recede, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha on Monday paid a visit to areas still inundated with floodwaters in Nakhon Si Thammarat, where he told locals that he has ordered authorities to expedite the recovery process.

*PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, center, during his visit to Nakhon Si Thammarat on Dec. 7, 2020.*

“I love you,” Prayut said to a group of locals at a handicraft center designated as an evacuation center in Chian Yai district. “I’ve been briefed that the flood was caused by heavy rainfall. There was over 900 millimeters of rain over the past seven days, compared to 2,000 millimeters on a yearly average.”

“We know that many people have been affected by the flood. The government will take care of everyone as much as we can,” he went on.

Prayut also said His Majesty the King has donated 10,000 survival kits to flood victims and instructed the government to ask for more if there is not enough aid to be handed out.

“This is what the monarchy does,” Prayut said. “His Majesty has done so many things and helped people on many occasions.”

*A drone footage of the flood in Trang province on Dec. 7, 2020.*

The hardest-hit province is Nakhon Si Thammarat province, where 18 out of 23 districts are still submerged by floodwaters. Twenty houses were completely destroyed by flood, while 4,028 were partially damaged, vice governor Sompong Makmanee said.

The flood also took two lives in the province’s Pak Phanang district on Saturday. Officials said both victims drowned while riding a vehicle on a flooded road.

Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said the defense ministry will help rebuild damaged houses and infrastructures.

The interior and agriculture ministries will also survey the affected households and farmlands in order to determine the amount of compensation needed to be given out to the victims, he said.

*Rescue workers deliver supplies to residents affected by flooding in Nakhon Si Thammarat province on Dec. 4, 2020.*

“The mitigation efforts must be integrated,” Anucha said. “We will accelerate the compensation process in accordance with the finance ministry regulations.”

The Thai Meteorological Department warned that more flooding is likely in Surat Thani, Trang and Songkhla, even as water levels in other provinces were gradually subsiding.

The department forecasted that there will be less rain along the Gulf coast starting from Tuesday, but more rain would come for up to 60 percent of the area for the rest of the week.

Maharat Nakhon Si Thammarat Hospital being surrounded by floodwaters on Dec. 3, 2020. — *Maharat Nakhon Si Thammarat Hospital surrounded by floodwaters on Dec. 3, 2020.*

Koalas Return To Aussie Wild After Rescues From Bushfires

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Xinhua News Agency

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8 December 2020, 09:01

87507 — Photo taken on Dec.6, 2020 shows a koala with bandaged paws, sitting amongst gum leaves, near vet clinic at Melbourne Zoo, in Melbourne, Australia. (Xinhua/Zoos Victoria)

SYDNEY (Xinhua) — After months of treatments and recoveries, koalas severely injured in Australia’s devastating bushfires last summer have finally returned home.

Fourteen koalas have been released into bushland at sites in Victoria’s East Gippsland region, close to where they were originally found over the past month, with the final group of eight released over the past weekend, Zoo Victoria said in a statement on Monday.

The koalas which were rescued after the blazes in January this year, underwent multiple surgeries for severe burns and many months of follow-up treatment.

139561124 16069879812711n 2 — *Photo taken on Dec.6, 2020 shows a released Koala at site near Mallacoota, Victoria, Australia. (Xinhua/Zoos Victoria)*

Following extensive treatment, they had also been “rewilding” by building up their strength, fitness and climbing abilities at a large enclosure at Phillip Island Nature Parks and Healesville Sanctuary.

Zoos Victoria senior veterinarian Leanne Wicker said it was special to see the koalas that have been through so much finally return to the wild.

“I will never forget the injuries and trauma that first confronted us in the wildlife triage units in January,” Wicker said.

S 21676145 1 — *Photo taken on Dec. 6, 2020 shows a female Koala with a radio tracking collar around her neck being health checked in Melbourne, Australia. (Xinhua/Zoos Victoria)*

“Sadly, there were many animals that we couldn’t save, but we gave our all to treat the badly burnt paws, noses and ears while monitoring for internal injuries.”

A report commissioned by the World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia revealed nearly 3 billion animals were impacted by last summer’s bushfire crisis, including more than 60,000 koalas.

S 21676151 1 — *Photo taken on Dec. 6, 2020 shows a koala back to wild in Healesville Sanctuary, Australia. (Xinhua/Zoos Victoria)*

Wicker said each koala has been fitted with a tracking device on the collar so that specialized animal health and science teams could monitor their progress over the coming months.

Researchers hope this could also provide valuable information on the health, welfare and long-term survival of recovered fire-affected koalas returning to the wild.

UK Rolling Out COVID-19 Vaccine To Public as World Watches

By

Associated Press

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8 December 2020, 09:00

1000 (4) — Nurses at the Royal Free Hospital, London, simulate the administration of the Pfizer vaccine to support staff training ahead of the rollout, in London, Friday Dec. 4, 2020. (Yui Mok/Pool Photo via AP)

LONDON (AP) — U.K. health authorities are rolling out the first doses of a widely tested and independently reviewed COVID-19 vaccine, starting a global immunization program that is expected to gain momentum as more serums win approval.

The first shot will come Tuesday at one of a network of hospital hubs around the country where the initial phase of the U.K. program will be rolled out on what has been dubbed “V-Day.”

Public health officials are asking the public to be patient because only those who are most at risk from COVID-19 will be vaccinated in the early stages. Medical staff will contact patients to arrange appointments, and most will have to wait until next year before there is enough vaccine to expand the program.

“I think there’s every chance that we will look back on … (Tuesday) as marking a decisive turning point in the battle against coronavirus,” said Simon Stevens, the CEO of England’s National Health Service.

The first 800,000 doses are going to people over 80 who are either hospitalized or already have outpatient appointments scheduled, along with nursing home workers. Others will have to wait their turn.

Among those older Britons scheduled to get vaccinated is Hari Shukla of Newcastle.

“When I received the telephone call, I was very excited I got the opportunity of joining in and taking part in that,″ he said. “So we are very very pleased and happy and excited as well.″

Buckingham Palace refused to comment on reports that Queen Elizabeth II, 94, and her 99-year-old husband, Prince Philip, would be vaccinated as a public example of its safety.

“Our goal is totally to protect every member of the population, Her Majesty, of course, as well,” Dr. June Raine, chief executive of Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, told the BBC.

Public health officials elsewhere are watching Britain’s rollout as they prepare for the unprecedented task of vaccinating billions of people to end a pandemic that has killed more than 1.5 million. While the U.K. has a well-developed infrastructure for delivering vaccines, it is geared to administer them to groups such as school children or pregnant women, not the whole population.

The U.K. is getting a head start on the project after British regulators on Dec. 2 gave emergency authorization to the vaccine produced by U.S. drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech. U.S. and European Union authorities are also reviewing the vaccine, alongside rival products developed by U.S. biotechnology company Moderna, and a collaboration between Oxford University and drugmaker AstraZeneca.

On Saturday, Russia began vaccinating thousands of doctors, teachers and others at dozens of centers in Moscow with its Sputnik V vaccine. That program is being viewed differently because Russia authorized use of Sputnik V last summer after it was tested in only a few dozen people.

The first shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine were delivered to a selected group of U.K. hospitals on Sunday.

At one of those facilities, Croydon University Hospital, south of London, staff members couldn’t so much as touch the vials, but they were thrilled to just have them in the building.

“I’m so proud,” said Louise Coughlan, joint chief pharmacist at Croydon Health Services NHS Trust.

The vaccine can’t arrive soon enough for the U.K., which has more than 61,000 COVID-19 related deaths — more than any other country has reported in Europe. The U.K. has more than 1.7 million cases.

The 800,000 doses are only a fraction of what is needed. The government is targeting more than 25 million people, or about 40% of the population, in the first phase of its vaccination program, which gives first priority to those who are highest risk from the disease.

After those over 80 and nursing home workers, the program will be expanded as the supply increases, with the vaccine offered roughly on the basis of age groups, starting with the oldest people.

In England, the vaccine will be delivered at 50 hospital hubs in the first wave of the program, with more hospitals expected to offer it as the rollout ramps up. Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are making their own plans under the U.K.’s system of devolved administration.

Logistical issues are slowing the distribution of the Pfizer vaccine because it has to be stored at minus-70 degrees Celsius (minus-94 degrees Fahrenheit).

The immunization program will be a “marathon not a sprint,” said professor Stephen Powis, medical director for NHS England.

Authorities also are focusing on large-scale distribution points because each package of vaccine contains 975 doses and they don’t want any to be wasted.

The U.K. has agreed to buy millions of doses from seven different producers. Governments around the world are making agreements with multiple developers to ensure they lock in delivery of the products that are ultimately approved for widespread use.

Opinion: Time for the Silent Majority To Speak Out

By

Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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7 December 2020, 17:30

S__146915335 — Pro- and anti-government protesters confront each other during clashes close to the Parliament on Nov. 17, 2020.

Drastic ideas are now being toyed with from some leaders from both sides of the political divide.

On Friday, Free Youth, a key group within the monarchy-reform protest movement, sent out a message to its followers on social media urging them to discuss the idea of a republic.

Two days later, Warong Dechgitvigrom, leader of royalist Thai Phakdee group, made a counter move. The former veteran politician proposed that absolute power be returned to the king, “temporarily.”

“Isn’t it time for royal power to be returned temporarily in order to design a new political system free from capitalist-politicians for the benefit of the people and for real democracy?” Warong posted on his Facebook page.

It’s not just Free Youth and Warong pushing the stretch of political imagination. Many on both sides of the political frontlines are feeling increasingly restless after nearly five months of protests end up in an apparent stalemate.

None of the three demands by the anti-government protests have been met. Gen Prayut Chan-ocha is still the Prime Minister. A new democratic and participatory charter is still uncertain and the 10-point demands for monarchy reforms received no responses.

Well, not quite. One of the demands, the call for the abolishment of the draconian and anachronistic lese majeste law, drew quite a reaction. As of Monday, 18 people, mostly protest leaders, have been charged with defaming His Majesty the King.

The number of those charged in a short period is unprecedented. It’s clear now that not only won’t the law be abolished, but it has also been revived and used in a prolific as well as disturbing manner.

Among the group of people accused of insulting the monarch is key protest leader Arnon Nampa, who wrote on his Facebook account on Monday afternoon that the leaders charged under the law, himself included, would probably end up in prison.

Arnond’s other ‘predictions’ include deepening conflicts that would lead to the call for “the abolishment of the monarchy.” This, according to Arnon, will lead to a violent crackdown, eventual military coup only to be met by widespread resistance of the people.

The elites, wrote Arnon, will eventually flee Thailand with whatever wealth they can take with them and Thailand will be under the military for five years before becoming a truly democratic country.

No matter which side you are on, there’s one thing to keep in mind. It’s worth reminding ourselves that the silent majority has not spoken.

Despite relatively large turnout, the monarchy-reform movement has never managed to muster over 50,000 demonstrators on the streets over the past five months.

On the ultra-royalist side, the number is much fewer – no more than 10,000.

Allow me to be overly generous and say perhaps the monarchy-reform protest movement has 500,000 active supporters and the ultra-royalist 300,000. Still, the figure is less than a million while Thailand’s population is 67 million strong.

It’s clear that the majority of the Thai people, over 60 million, have not expressed their views on the on-going political stalemate.

It’s time for them to speak and act. Continued silence would be tantamount to forfeiting their role as citizens in determining the future course of Thai society. If the silent majority do not speak or act soon, there may be no other options but to allow demagogues of different political stripes to dominate and plunge Thailand deeper towards conflicts and confrontations.

Consider this a wake-up-call before it’s too late to speak senses. We all will have to face its consequences even if we continue to remain silent, sooner or later.

Thai Host of COVID Relief Show Wins Asian Creative Awards

By

Khaosod English

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7 December 2020, 16:29

Phanya Nirunkul with an 11-year-old garland weaver living with disabilities, on the Nov. 27, 2020 episode of “Wit Makes Miracle.” Photo: Panya Gift / Facebook

SINGAPORE — Thailand clinched two winnings at the Asian Academy Creative Awards on Friday, including the host of a TV show dedicated to assisting those who face hardship amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Phanya Nirunkul, a veteran TV personality, was recognized for the show called “Wit Makes Miracle” – or ปัญญา ปันสุข (Punya Punsuk) in Thai – winning awards in Best Lifestyle and Entertainment Presenter/Host categories. The other winner from Thailand is a romance-based game show that challenges gender stereotypes.

Wit Makes Miracle began airing weekdays in June on Workpoint Channel; its 117th episode was broadcast on Friday. In each installment, Phanya talks to people who lost their jobs or faced other difficulties because of the coronavirus.

If they are able to complete a specified task using their wit, as specified in the title, then they can win a prize that will help them. Viewers are also encouraged to donate to the guests who appeared in the shows.

In the first episode, Phanya featured Sompong Um-iam, 62, a crab farmer in Chumphon who went bankrupt trying to help other farmers in his area during the COVID-19 crisis. He won 10,000 crab cages to help him in his business after showing off his talent in weighing some crabs.

The first episode of “Wit Makes Miracle” with English subs.

“Couple or Not Thailand” from Thailand also won the Best General Entertainment, Game, or Quiz Programme.

Produced by Zense Entertainment, the show revolves around celebrities who interview a pool of guests and try to to guest which ones of them are real-life couples. The show often includes same-sex couples, LGBTs, and relationships with interesting backstories as a way to subvert the audience’s expectations.

Episode 109 of “Couple or Not,” featuring an LGBT couple.

The Singapore-based Asian Academy Creative Awards recognize entertainment firms in the Asia Pacific region for their work in film and TV.

This year’s Best Drama Series went to South Korea’s “Crash Landing On You,” a popular K-drama about the love between a North Korean soldier and a South Korean businesswoman.

Best Feature Film went to Malaysia’s “The Garden of Evening Mists” by Astro Shaw and HBO Asia. Based on a book by Tan Twan Eng, the film tells the story of a woman who survived a Japanese war camp in the 1940s and became a student to a Japanese gardener in the Cameron Highlands.

38 People Infected So Far In Connection With Myanmar Returnees

By

Khaosod English

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7 December 2020, 15:00

A woman receives a coronavirus test in Chiang Rai province on Dec. 7, 2020.

BANGKOK — At least 38 new cases of coronavirus infection found in recent days have direct links to a group of Thai workers who crossed the border from Myanmar illegally, health officials said Monday.

Sophon Iamsirithavorn, director of the communicable disease division, said all of those cases – 15 of which were discovered today – were connected to Thai nationals who worked at 1G1 Hotel in Myanmar’s border town of Tachileik. Sophon also insisted the situation is not yet considered a new wave of virus outbreaks.

“We’re not at that level at the moment,” Sophon said. “Almost every patient was infected from the neighboring country. Those found in Thailand could be traced to the returnees and we found no further transmission.”

He added, “Therefore, this is not the second wave of infection.”

Hundreds of Thai nationals were reportedly employed at 1G1 Hotel. The hotel has been closed since Nov. 24, resulting in the influx of Thai workers heading home.

Read: Anutin: ‘Selfish’ Returnees Pose Risk Of Renewed Outbreak

Sixteen of the returnees managed to sneak across the Thai-Myanmar border, skipping quarantine and traveling on public transport to reach their home provinces, security officers said. They also reportedly flew with Nok Air, Thai Smile, and Thai Lion Air.

Twenty others entered the kingdom legally and were tested positive for infection in the state-run quarantine.

Most of the new patients were found in the northern provinces of Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, which share a border with Myanmar.

*Security officers patrol the Thai-Myanmar border in Chiang Rai province on Dec. 5, 2020.*

Despite growing public anxiety over the recent discovery of these new infections, Sophon said only two domestic transmissions of the virus have been found so far.

Those two cases were a 28-year-old man who visited Chiang Rai province between Nov. 26 to 29 and a 51-year-old woman who had been in close contact with one of the infected returnees, according to the Disease Control Department.

Sophon also urged passengers who shared the flights with the Myanmar returnees to immediately go into self-isolation and monitor their symptoms for 14 days. They include flights DD8717 and WE137 on Nov. 29, and SL533 and SL545 on Nov. 30.

Despite the reassurance offered by health officials that the situation is under control, many potential travelers are said to be cancelling their trip to the northern region, a popular destination for Thais to enjoy the winter breeze.

Kitti Tissakul, an advisor to Chiang Rai Tourism Council, said 60 to 70 percent of this month’s bookings were cancelled, resulting in at least 10 million baht in lost revenues.

As of Monday, 179 coronavirus patients remain in hospitals across Thailand, while 3,868 patients have recovered so far. The country’s cumulative case number now stands at 4,107, with 60 deaths reported by the authorities.

Rural Temple Statues of Magical Beasts Melt Hearts, Inspire Fanart

By

Khaosod English

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7 December 2020, 14:45

Left: Statues of hera at Wat Chaiyaphum in Ubol Ratchathani. Photo: Prachatip Makmool Gebgod / Facebook. Right: The tua mom statue at Wat Prathat Kham Kaen in Khon Kaen. Photo: Buddhist Sima / Facebook

KHON KAEN — While Chinese dragons inspire awe and Greek centaurs represent mysterious wisdom for centuries, Thai mythical creatures have the power to make the internet squeal.

Photos of awkward-looking statues of little known magical beasts in some rural temples have been making rounds on social media over the weekend. The most popular of them appears to be a sculpture of a tua mom, a four-legged creature in Lanna folklore that was supposed to look like a mix of dragon and lion – but it ended up looking more like a duck, or a badly shaped dinosaur.

Phra Kru Sootta, the abbot of the temple where the viral photo of tua mom was taken, said he welcomed the sudden online fame. The monk said he just received a call from a gift shop owner in Bangkok who said that she would make tua mom souvenirs and donate some of the proceeds to the temple.

“I feel happy that people are interested and calling in about it,” Phra Kru Sootta of Wat Prathat Kham Kaen said by phone.

He also acknowledged that the sculpture of tua mom at his temple does look a bit strange.

“Usually, in the north and northeast, tua mom will have the head of a dragon and the body of a lion,” the abbot explained. “But this one here has the body of a lion, and a duck’s head. Some people told me it looks like a dolphin’s head!”

Thanks to tua mom, several other sculptures are also getting a lot of attention on social media, like a pair of golden Naga-like creatures on the steps of Wat Chaiyaphum in Ubon Ratchathani.

In fact, as many netizens have now learned, they are hera, a half-crocodile, half-Naga reputed to be guardians of the mythical Himmapan Forest. According to Isaan Lanxang History, the heras at Wat Chaiyaphum were built in 1897 by local artists without formal training – a sort of local naive art.

128973923 2116945391769569 3142885517682886836 o copy e1607327001887 — Nonnnnn! Close up of the hera at Wat Chaiyaphum in Ubol Ratchathani. Photo: Prachatip Makmool Gebgod / Facebook

“The hera were made in a simple style, stripped of unnecessary things, leaving only a pure beauty, without scales or feathers like how court artists would do it,” the Facebook page wrote. “Local artists created it with their faith in Buddhism.”

Traditional Buddhist art has long suffered from a lack of popularity among the younger generations – but many online artists are now drawing fanart of tua moms and heras, and sharing them under the hashtag #HimmapanMarshmallow in tribute to the internet sensation.

They also earn the internet nickname of “nonnnnnnnnnn,” an endearing diminutive of the term nong. Here’s some examples of the fanarts of the creatures:

Grilled marshmallows #หิมพานต์มาร์ชเมลโล่ pic.twitter.com/q8a3NoioUj

— Sirisiri.studio (@SirisiriStudio) December 4, 2020

https://twitter.com/2004ttw/status/1334927239192825856

what a lovely smile 🙂 #หิมพานต์มาร์ชเมลโล่ pic.twitter.com/28WG5zt5AM

— WATCH OUT! ||| (@Pugnacious_Jun) December 5, 2020

https://twitter.com/Khunmin4RL/status/1334837096347942912

Surprised right?
I know you guys haven't see my another art styles before
There's another one!
#หิมพานต์มาร์ชเมลโล่ pic.twitter.com/3RJGB2r4zl

— ➡LazySAND⬅ (@AMIHUMAN6) December 5, 2020

As Coronavirus Panic Returns, Hoteliers Ask Gov’t for Help

By

Xinhua News Agency

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7 December 2020, 10:00

S__8355958 — A woman receives a coronavirus test in Chiang Rai province on Dec. 5, 2020.

BANGKOK (Xinhua) — Hoteliers and other tourism businesspersons of Chiang Rai, northern Thailand, have called for government help in the face of a renewed panic over the current pandemic situation.

Chiang Rai Hotels Association President Wirot Chaya said on Friday that the province’s hoteliers and tour operators have called on the authorities to promptly clarify the province’s current pandemic situation to prospective visitors, following the confirmed COVID-19 infections with a dozen Thai women, who had illegally crossed the border from neighboring Myanmar to Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai.

In particular, Chiang Rai provincial governor Prachon Pratsakul was suggested to quickly make assurances to the public that the province’s pandemic situation has been put under control with stepped-up anti-pandemic measures currently taken by the authorities, according to the association head.

Wirot made his comments in response to the reported cancellation of bookings at hotels throughout Chiang Rai amidst apparent fears of prospective tourists for a further cross-border spread of the coronavirus.

Usually viewed as home to one of the most popular tourist destinations, Chiang Rai, which currently has some 400 hotels with a combined total of about 20,000 rooms, might probably see its tourism sector operate at an enormous loss due to such widespread panic over the pandemic situation, he said.

The hoteliers earlier expected 80 percent to 90 percent of the province’s total room occupancy during otherwise high season around this time of year.

Japan Doctor Remembered 1-Yr After Killing in Afghanistan

By

Kyodo News

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7 December 2020, 09:01

JALALABAD, Afghanistan (Kyodo) — Japanese doctor Tetsu Nakamura was remembered Friday by some 100 local staff members of a group founded by him, one year after he was gunned down in Afghanistan.

The 73-year-old local representative of the Peshawar-kai aid group, who dedicated himself to helping the conflict-ravaged Asian country, was killed along with five locals in an ambush as they made their way to an irrigation site in Jalalabad in the eastern province of Nangarhar on Dec. 4, 2019.

Continue reading the story here.

Trump Lawyer Giuliani in Hospital After Positive COVID Test

By

Associated Press

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7 December 2020, 09:00

1000 (7) — In this Nov. 19, 2020, file photo, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a lawyer for President Donald Trump, speaks during a news conference at the Republican National Committee headquarters, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani has tested positive for the coronavirus, making him the latest in Trump’s inner circle to contract the disease that is now surging across the U.S.

Giuliani was exhibiting some symptoms and was admitted Sunday to Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to speak publicly.

The 76-year-old former New York mayor has traveled extensively to battleground states in an effort to help Trump subvert his election loss. On numerous occasions he has met with officials for hours at a time without wearing a mask.

Trump, who announced Giuliani’s positive test in a Sunday afternoon tweet, wished him a speedy recovery.

“Get better soon Rudy, we will carry on!!!” Trump wrote.

Giuliani did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but on Sunday evening he retweeted Trump’s announcement of his diagnosis. He also tweeted thanks to a conservative writer who had said he was praying for Giuliani.

Giuliani attended a hearing at the Georgia Capitol on Thursday where he went without a mask for several hours. Several state senators, all Republicans, also did not wear masks at the hearing.

On Wednesday night, Giuliani was in Lansing, Michigan, to testify in a highly unusual 4 1/2-hour legislative hearing in which he pushed Republican lawmakers to ignore the certification of Joe Biden’s Michigan victory and appoint electors for Trump. He did not wear a mask, nor did lawyer Jenna Ellis, who was sitting next to him. At one point, he asked one of his witnesses — a Detroit election worker — if she would be comfortable removing her mask. But legislators said they could hear her.

Giuliani traveled on Monday to Phoenix where he met with Republican legislators for an hourslong hearing in which he was maskless. The Arizona Republican Party tweeted a photo of Giuliani and several state GOP lawmakers standing shoulder-to-shoulder and maskless. The Arizona legislature announced Sunday, after Giuliani’s diagnosis became public, that it would close for a week out of an abundance of caution “for recent cases and concerns relating to COVID-19.”

The Trump campaign said in a statement that Giuliani tested negative twice before his visits to Arizona, Michigan and Georgia. Unidentified Trump team members who had close contact with Giuliani are in self-isolation.

“The Mayor did not experience any symptoms or test positive for COVID-19 until more than 48 hours after his return,” according to the statement. “No legislators in any state or members of the press are on the contact tracing list, under current CDC Guidelines.”

Giuliani also appeared maskless at a Nov. 25 hearing in Pennsylvania. And he did not quarantine after being near an infected person at a Nov. 19 news conference at the Republican National Committee’s headquarters. His son Andrew Giuliani, who is a White House aide, announced a day after the event that he had tested positive for the virus.

Research shows that people who contract the virus may become infectious to others several days before they start to feel ill.

Georgia state Sen. Jen Jordan, a Democrat who attended Thursday’s hearing, expressed outrage after learning of Giuliani’s diagnosis.

“Little did I know that most credible death threat that I encountered last week was Trump’s own lawyer,” Jordan tweeted. “Giuliani — maskless, in packed hearing room for 7 hours. To say I am livid would be too kind.”

Before the hearing, Giuliani and Michigan Republican Party Chairman Laura Cox — both maskless — did a virtual briefing for GOP activists.

Giuliani made an appearance earlier Sunday on Fox News “Sunday Morning Futures” to speak about his legal challenges in several states on behalf of Trump.

The diagnosis comes more than a month after Trump lost reelection and more than two months after Trump himself was stricken with the virus in early October. Since then, a flurry of administration officials and others in Trump’s orbit have also been sickened, including White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Ben Carson, the secretary of housing and urban development. The president’s wife, Melania Trump, and teenage son, Barron Trump, have also been stricken.

The extraordinary spread in Trump’s orbit underscores the cavalier approach the president has taken to a virus that has now killed more than 280,000 people in the U.S. alone.

Those infected also include the White House press secretary and advisers Hope Hicks and Stephen Miller, as well as Trump’s campaign manager and the chair of the Republican National Committee.

Trump spent the waning days of his campaign trying to persuade the American public that the virus was receding, and repeatedly claimed it would miraculously “disappear” after Nov. 3. Instead, the country is experiencing a record-breaking spike in infections.

The president gave the mounting coronavirus death toll scant attention at a Saturday evening rally in Valdosta, Georgia, where he campaigned on behalf of Republican Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue ahead of next month’s runoff election there. Most people who attended the outdoor rally did not wear masks.

White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx on Sunday offered tacit criticism of Trump’s attitude on the virus during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Asked about Trump and other administration members flouting public health experts’ warnings to avoid large gatherings and calls to wear masks, Birx replied that some leaders are “parroting” myths and called the pandemic “the worst event that this country will face.”

“And I think our job is to constantly say those are myths, they are wrong and you can see the evidence-base,” Birx added.

—

Lemire reported from Wilmington, Delaware. Associated Press writers Ben Nadler in Atlanta and David Eggert in Lansing, Michigan, contributed reporting.

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