Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel promised to provide convention attendees with masks as the mayor of Jacksonville, Florida, cracks down on residents not wearing face coverings to combat a climb in COVID-19 cases in his city.
“We’re going to provide PPE,” McDaniel told Fox News on Tuesday, referring to personal protective equipment.
The top Republican added, “We’re going to listen to the local authorities, and we’re going to make sure this is a safe and healthy convention. And we’re going to abide by what the mayor and the governor are saying.”
Republicans yanked the majority of their quadrennial gathering, where President Trump will be coronated the party’s 2020 nominee, from Charlotte, North Carolina, this month, a mere 11 weeks from when 50,000 people were expected to descend on the city. Party bosses had been at loggerheads with Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper for weeks over how to host the largest possible event, despite virus-related crowd restrictions.
But on Monday, Republican Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry issued a citywide mask mandate to blunt a spike in coronavirus cases reported in Florida and the greater Jacksonville area. The rule applies to indoor events, such as the convention, which is set to take place at the Veterans Memorial Arena from Aug. 25-27. The order may be lifted before the convention if conditions improve.
McDaniel insisted Tuesday the most striking difference between Jacksonville and Charlotte was that Cooper refused to give Republicans guidance.
“We’re going to test everybody, we’re going to have temperature checks, we’re going to sanitize. We can do this in a safe way and not let politics get in the way — which, unfortunately, is what was happening in North Carolina,” she said.
She also defended Trump’s reticence over wearing masks, saying he had donned the gear and takes the public health threat of the virus “incredibly seriously.”
