Vice President Mike Pence, chairman of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, apparently saw no problem with a choir of more than 100 people singing without masks as long as he got an opportunity to appear competent. He and U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson attended a cringy "Celebrate Freedom” rally that attracted almost 2,200 people to the 14,000-member First Baptist Church on Sunday in Dallas, according to CNN.

That same day, the nation's coronavirus case count topped 2.5 million, and Texas—along with Florida and Arizona—emerged as "the country's latest epicenters" for the virus, according to The Washington Post. "We're very lucky. We have a smart vice president," Carson said during the service. He also praised Pence as someone who "very quickly can grasp scientific concepts and make sense out of them." His presence at the kind of event that flies in the face of the best recommendations from experts suggests otherwise.

Just in case the sight of the massive choir singing before the vice president may have caused confusion, the Centers for Disease Control is still recommending people avoid close contact and wear nose and mouth covers when they are expecting to be within 6 feet of others.

Texas' coronavirus count hit a record high Thursday with almost 6,000 new cases, and hospitalizations have reached new highs daily for the past 16 days, The Texas Tribune reported. Arizona hit a one-day high of 3,857 Sunday, and Florida reported 8,530 new cases on Sunday, which is actually a drop from the record 9,585 cases on Saturday, according to The Washington Post.

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