NC Gov.: 'Very Unlikely' RNC Can Proceed Without Social Distancing, Masks
"Obviously we're going to put the safety of the attendees and the president and the vice president first and foremost," McDaniel said in May."And if that means people wear masks, we're going to have people wear masks.
" But Trump has expressed a desire for something different: A packed house with no face coverings or social distancing. McDaniel shifted her position quickly, sending letters last week to the state's top health official two letters saying the GOP wanted a more-or-less normal convention, even though the state's current limit on indoor gatherings is 10 people. The RNC has proposed that convention attendees pass a pre-convention health screen and have their temperature checked before entering the arena. It also proposed having hand sanitizer available and cleaning areas where people gather. Mandy Cohen, the state's top health official, indicated on Monday that the state will not green light a normal convention. "What we know about the spread of this virus is if you are indoors, close together, without 6 feet apart and without face covering, then the virus spreads," she said Monday. While they have threatened to move the RNC, a spokesperson for the committee, Rick Gorka, said last week that Charlotte will still be the host site – either with 19,000 people inside the arena or 100. Republican Charlotte City Council member Ed Driggs, who supports bringing the convention here, said the two sides are far apart. "I saw that letter from the RNC and I thought there is still a big gap," Driggs said."It really is a tough situation. You talk about a rock and a hard place. I don't see any satisfactory way out." The city has already started buying police equipment to prepare for the RNC. The Justice Department is contractually obligated to reimburse the city from a $50 million security grant, but, as a businessman, Trump has a history of unpaid bills, while the Trump campaign has refused to pay police security costs in some cities where it has held rallies.The uncertainty around the convention comes as the city's tourism and hospitality industries are suffering. Last month's revenue at the downtown DoubleTree hotel was $125,000, compared to $800,000 a year ago, said general manager Bill DeLoache."It was very disheartening, and I finally quit listening to the news because neither side really seemed to want to make it want to work," he said. Democratic city council member Malcolm Graham says most emails and phone calls he receives constituents are against hosting. "People are now voicing concerns not only about the public health but they're voicing concerns about the public safety — some of the inflammatory comments from the president over the past couple of days, rioting in the streets Charlotte," Graham said.
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