Melania Trump just announced the cancelation of the annual Easter Egg Roll at the White House amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The FLOTUS released a written statement days after her husband, Donald Trump, declared a national emergency in the United States. As of late, 100 people have already died due to the deadly illness, and the majority of them are aged 60 and above, according to CNN.
“The health and safety of all Americans must be the first priority, especially right now. I deeply regret this cancelation, but we need to make difficult decisions in the short-term to ensure a healthy country for the long-term. During this time, I encourage everyone to listen to state and local officials and follow CDC guidelines in order to help protect the health and well-being of everyone,” she said.
The White House Easter Egg Roll dates back to 1878 during the presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes. Years earlier, a bill was signed banning the rolling of Easter eggs on Capitol grounds due to landscape concerns.
But in 1978, a group of children walked up to the gates of the White House to ask if they could play egg-rolling games there. President Hayes asked his guards to let the children in and that’s when it became an annual tradition.
Meanwhile, even though the annual Easter Egg Roll next month has already been canceled, the FLOTUS seemingly posted a contradicting tweet online. To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, the first lady encouraged her millions of followers to celebrate special events and occasions.
“While things are different this year, and the focus is to keep each other safe and healthy, don’t forget to celebrate special events and occasions. Happy #StPatricksDay,” Melania tweeted.
Thousands of netizens replied to the first lady’s tweet with varying reactions.
“Thank you, first lady, for reminding all of us that life goes on and we should be celebrating our holidays,” Twitter user @SexCounseling said.
“Really Melania, no one wants to hear from you,” Twitter user @showbiz411 said.