House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Thursday he’s not concerned about attending the National Republican Convention in Jacksonville, Florida, in person during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’ll be at the convention gladly, and I know we will do it in a safe manner, we’ll take the precautions needed,” the California Republican told reporters at his weekly press conference. “It will probably look different than those in the past, knowing what we’re living through today, but it will be an opportunity to share ideas and do it in a safe manner that we’re distanced from one another.”
The RNC said it plans to fully comply with the Jacksonville city mandate that requires masks in large gatherings where social distancing is not possible.
Despite Mr. McCarthy’s confidence, several other Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill have decided to skip this year’s conference or minimize their attendance, including Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, an honorary chair of the Trump campaign and chair of the Senate Health Committee.
The United States had 3 million coronavirus cases Wednesday, with more than 131,000 deaths. The nation also saw a new single-day record spike with 60,000 new cases on Tuesday.
Florida is one of several states that has seen a dramatic uptick in cases. It’s documented 223,783 total cases and 3,889 fatalities, according to state data.
