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Pompeo Plans 900-Person Indoor Holiday Party but Tells Staff to Hold Virtual Meetings Due to COVID: WaPo

The State Department told employees to hold “virtual events as opposed to in-person gatherings,” but the guidelines didn’t seem to apply to Pompeo.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has invited 900 people for a mid-December holiday party to be held indoors at the State Department, even as State Department staffers are urged to avoid “in-person gatherings,” The Washington Post reports. “Diplomacy at Home for the Holidays,” scheduled for Dec. 15, is just one of several upcoming parties on Pompeo’s schedule. Last week, the State Department notified employees that all “non-mission critical events” should be downgraded to “virtual events as opposed to in-person gatherings” to prevent the spread of the coronavirus at the agency. The guidelines, however, do not appear to apply to Pompeo. Coronavirus cases are spiking around the country, with infections reaching 14 million and deaths topping 270,000. A spokesperson told the Post, “We plan to fully enforce social distancing measures at this reception, and face coverings are mandatory for admittance.”