U.S. State Department officials told the U.S. media that the U.S. State Department, which Pompeo is in charge of, will hold parties almost every day for the next two weeks.
According to NBC on the 4th, guests will arrive at the U.S. Department of State for the “festival cheers” on Tuesday night local time, this will be their second celebration that night.
According to the report, most of these guests are foreign ambassadors to the United States. They were first invited to the White House for a special visit and participate in open-ended activities. Then they crossed the street to Blair Palace to enjoy more cocktails, holiday feasts and gossip at the party during the epidemic.
The ambassadors’ event, one of more than a dozen festivals this month for hundreds of people, was given in an invitations obtained by NBC News, which was given to the Department of State, despite the directives to subordinate staff that all “non-mission-critical events” should be held virtually (online).
The report pointed out that when American people canceled Christmas parties and family trips in order to maintain social distancing, U.S. State Department officials said that for the next two weeks, almost every day party activities would be held at the headquarters and the Blair Palace of the State Guest House of the United States.
Pompeo holds a holiday reception for heads of diplomatic missions at State Department December 12, 2019
The busy social schedule has raised deep concern among some State Department officials, who are worried not only about the safety of the employees, waiters and security personnel who must carry out the event, but also the safety of guests.
According to the report, a State Department official sarcastically said: “As in the Rose Garden of the White House, won’t powerful people get the virus? This is ridiculous. According to the report, the official alluded to a previous White House gathering that had become a super-spreading event.
An official confirmed that Pompeo himself will host a festive party on December 15 and 16. The Washington Post first reported Pompeo’s plan to invite hundreds of people to the holiday party.
The report noted that these indoor celebrations appear to be contrary to the directive issued last week by the State Department leadership, which reminds State Department employees that the State Department is “committed to maintaining responsible physical distance and holding only mission-critical gatherings”.
The CDC urges Americans to celebrate the holidays only at home and only with family members. This week, the number of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the United States all reached record numbers.
Nevertheless, the U.S. State Department defended the decision to hold a holiday party. A spokesperson said that some events were held separately to ensure that few people gathered indoors at the same time.
Additionally, guests will be tested for temperatures, but without having to be tested for COVID-19, “a lot of hand sanitizer” will be placed on site.” All guests will be required to wear masks and maintain social distancing.” However, the spokesperson did not answer how guests wore masks to enjoy the food and cocktails at the party.
