GOP Scales Back Convention Plans, Relenting On Virus Restrictions

Brian Naylor

July 16, 2020 / 6:57 am

caption: Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel, right, walks with White House senior adviser Jared Kushner on the South Lawn of the White House in May. McDaniel announced Thursday that the RNC would scale back its convention plans in Jacksonville, Fla. due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Republican party announced Thursday morning that it is scaling back its upcoming nominating convention, and will hold what party chair Ronna McDaniel is calling a "convention celebration," next month in Jacksonville Fla.

Bowing to the realities of holding a mass gathering in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic in Florida, which has seen a spike in new cases, attendance at the convention during its first few days, August 24-26th, will be limited to RNC delegates only, which is a little more than 2,500 people. On the final day, Thurs. Aug 27, when President Trump will give his acceptance speech, each of those delegates will be able to have a guest, and alternate delegates will be able to attend, a total of around 7,000 people, an expected attendance in line with Trump's one post-pandemic rally in Tulsa last month.

The specific location of speeches and other events remains unsettled, with McDaniel listing the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, an indoor facility seating 15,000 people, along with other nearby outdoor facilities as locations that will host different daytime and evening events.

McDaniel also listed health safety measures the party plans to implement. "This plan includes but is not limited to on-site temperature checks, available PPE, aggressive sanitizing protocols, and available COVID-19 testing," she wrote.

Despite adjusting plans in the midst of the surge in COVID-19 across Florida, McDaniel still criticized North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, saying he decided "to play politics" by insisting on restrictions for the original plans for the RNC in Charlotte due to the pandemic.