As Donald Trump goes around the nation campaigning that Americans shouldn’t be afraid of the coronavirus, the White House has put 31 states in the COVID “Red Zone” because of rising infection rates, the Washington Post reports.
Trump said in campaign events and interviews that people are getting sick about hearing about the pandemic, claiming that the media is covering it to suppress voter turnout.
States earn the “Red Zone” designation by having more than 100 new cases per 100,000 residents or at least two coronavirus fatalities per 100,000 residents in the last week.
The 31 states listed are primarily in the South and the Midwest, key areas for Trump supporters. New “Red Zone” states include the Dakotas, Montana, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas and Kansas.