“The middle finger weighing public health guidelines, the ‘political establishment’ and the ‘mainstream media’ in the form of a personal call amid the pandemic is a great way to boost its hard base,” said Lucy Caldwell, a Republican strategist and adviser to former Illinois Representative Joe Walsh, who this year challenged Mr. Trump in the Republican primary race.
Leading up to kickoff weekend, attendees of the Republican National Convention were asked to stay home as much as possible from Aug. 6, prior to their trip, to reduce potential exposure to the coronavirus. While in Charlotte, attendees are expected to take their temperatures before entering the venue and then receive a daily ‘health pass bracelet’ that they can wear, according to a copy of the Republican health plan provided by The New York Times.
All attendees are expected to stay at least six feet away from each other while inside the place, and the Republican National Committee said it would maintain a statewide mask mandate and provide masks, gloves, portable hand sanitizer and sanitary napkins to all present. The commission also said it planned to contact everyone present five, 14 and 21 days after the incident to track the possible spread of the coronavirus.
The health protocols have helped reduce concerns of local Democratic officials who were worried about a large-scale meeting.
“They have a plan and they have outlined it, and I believe, at least, that it has been well-executed,” said Larken Egleston, a Democratic councilor in Charlotte. Mr Egleston said Dr Runge had informed the council and ‘did his job in a non-partisan way’.
“I’m glad it’s not the convention we originally thought it would be,” Mr Egleston said. “But as scale back as it is, I think it can be done safely.”
But the Republican National Committee still hoped to provide some sort of enjoyable social experience for attendees. Delegates and members will have the option to go to a jazz club and eat out, according to a person involved in the planning, who said that despite all the precautions for health, they still want the experience. ” normalize “.
