Melania Trump shocked a lot of people after putting her fears over coronavirus on hold. On Wednesday, she, along with the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, presented and "honored" this year's recipients of the International Women of Courage Awards at the State Department.
According to Express UK, the First Lady, as well as the Secretary of State, did not mind the advice of the US government and health officials about the apparent virus outbreak. This is because they were reportedly shaking hands and hugging all of the awardees of the event.
As reported, there are 13 recipients, who all went to the event and met Melania Trump on stage. It was said that they all came from various parts of the globe, notably in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
While the virus outbreak has now reportedly reached "pandemic proportions," it was said that all of the awardees and the participants did not come from the high-risk countries, which are Italy, South Korea, and China, where coronavirus, now called COVID-19, originated.
Amid all the precautionary measures, it seemingly appeared that the First Lady "defied" all of the officials' advice over the virus outbreak. It was said that several authorities from the health sector highly discourage shaking hands and making personal contact with other people. Instead, everyone is now encouraged to make an "elbow touch" when greeting others.
The same report also claimed that Melania Trump did not only defied the officials' advice but, she also went against her husband, Donald Trump's precautions over coronavirus. As revealed, the United States President even mentioned previously that he has not touched his face yet for weeks to prevent catching the virus.
Currently, there are 158 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States.
In a similar report released by Daily Mail, it was also shared that the First Lady said a few words during the event. Based on her statements, this year's awarding ceremony served as her fourth year in attendance.
But, despite the annual participation, Melania Trump said that she still feels "inspired" by the "personal stories" of each awardee. She then praised and commended the United States for its efforts on helping and supporting women across the globe in terms of their "endeavors."
Aside from the recognition and praise for the women of today and the United States, the First Lady also reportedly mentioned her recent award from the Palm Beach Atlantic University and talked about her Be Best initiative.
