MILWAUKEE (SPECTRUM NEWS) -- Due to the unprecedented coronavirus outbreak, the Democratic National Convention Committee has announced a date change for the 2020 DNC in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The event was originally scheduled for July 13-17, but will now be held the week of August 17.
“I have always believed that American innovation and ingenuity shine brightest during our darkest days, and for that reason, I’m confident our convention planning team and our partners will find a way to deliver a convention in Milwaukee this summer that places our Democratic nominee on the path to victory in November,” said Joe Solmonese, CEO of the Democratic National Convention Committee.
Democratic Party leadership had been working on contingency plans as the coronavirus spread across the country. Party secretary Jason Rae, who lives in Milwaukee, said the Democratic National Committee and the planning committees will monitor the pandemic in the coming weeks to determine the convention’s format, schedule and size, and whether it will be appropriate to bring an estimated 50,000 visitors to the city.
“Right now the convention team is exploring all options to ensure that we are nominating the next President of the United States without any unnecessary risks to public health,” Rae said. “But I think it was an important step today to postpone at least until August and give us that necessary time.”
The DNC is now just one week before the Republican National Convention in Charlotte which begins on Monday, August 24.