With coronavirus cases on the rise in Florida, Republicans plan to move the three nights of their national convention from an indoor arena to an outdoor venue in Jacksonville, but it’s still unclear how many people will be able to attend the events, people familiar with the discussions. he said Tuesday.
Officials met Monday night to discuss the change of events on August 25, 26, and 27 outside the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, where the covered program was scheduled, including President Trump’s acceptance speech on the final night. . The two outdoor options they have been examining are close to the arena, people familiar with the discussions said.
Trump often changes his position, and officials emphasized that the plans could change.
Officials still don’t know if a crowd of people will be able to attend outdoor events or if there will be restrictions to keep people from getting too close.
The plan to move the outdoor activities came after a meeting Mr. Trump held with political advisers on Monday night. It is a change from what Trump had envisioned when he forced the Republican National Committee to abandon plans in Charlotte, North Carolina, because officials there refused to guarantee the kind of pre-coronavirus event the president wanted, with no restrictions on the social distancing.
But as Florida faces a new outbreak of virus infections, Jacksonville presents more serious challenges than Charlotte. Many Republican officials and elected delegates, responding to a New York Times poll, said they would take a wait-and-see approach to attending or skipping the event entirely. Other delegates, however, said they would definitely attend and would be honored to help rename Trump.
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry was asked at a news conference Tuesday about Republicans wary of traveling to the convention, given the health risks that could be involved.
“We have many weeks until the convention,” said Curry. “We are monitoring the situation and will plan accordingly, based on hospitalizations, community spread, etc.”
Fundraising for the convention has been “strong,” Curry said, adding that he did not have an exact figure. He set it at “tens of millions” of dollars.
The mayor said he tested negative for the virus. He had previously isolated himself with his family after learning that he had been exposed to someone infected.
The planned outdoor transfer for evening events is the latest complication for Republican convention officials. Fundraisers in Jacksonville have described a challenging environment when donors resist giving to an event threatened by a health crisis, or donating a second time after contributing to the Charlotte convention.
And Mr. Trump still can’t get the full, unrestricted celebration he was looking for: the city of Jacksonville is requiring face covers in any public space where social distancing is not possible, and the host committee said all attendees of the convention the perimeter “the temperature will be tested and verified every day”.
Patricia Mazzei contributed reporting from Miami.
