“The RNC had active safety protocols in place, including testing of all participants before they arrived in Charlotte, and again upon arrival,” Ahrens said.
The location for the RNC shifted around the South in the run-up to the convention amid security concerns with thousands of cheering supporters in the vicinity during the pandemic. Initially expected for Charlotte, the planned convention location was moved to Jacksonville, Fla. In June, after North Carolina Government Roy Cooper said a Charlotte rally would have to be reduced to comply with coronavirus guidelines. Those plans were annulled in July with President Donald Trump acknowledging “it’s just not the right time” to hold a “big, busy convention.”
The convention was finally split between Charlotte and Washington, with several speakers at a distance. Organizers of the convention said there were regular temperature checks and wellness questionnaires, as well as requirements for mask and social distance. Attendees were instructed to wear a safety phobia to check their health.
But during Trump’s last address Thursday night to accept the party’s nomination, participants were closely packed with little room for social distance on the White House South Lawn. Few participants could see masks at Trump’s address.
