Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will no longer travel to Milwaukee to accept the Democratic party nomination for president in person later this month.
The convention will now be entirely virtual. Biden will accept the nomination virtually from his home state of Delaware. The other scheduled speakers, including Biden’s eventual running mate, will now address the convention, remotely as well.
“From the very beginning of this pandemic, we put the health and safety of the American people first. We followed the science, listened to doctors and public health experts, and we continued making adjustments to our plans in order to protect lives. That’s the kind of steady and responsible leadership America deserves. And that’s the leadership Joe Biden will bring to the White House,” DNC Chair Tom Perez said in a statement.
Wisconsin has seen a steady rise in confirmed coronavirus cases since July.
One senior Democratic official told CNN: “The fear of community spread in Milwaukee, with media, production teams and party officials was just getting to be too much. We don’t want to risk anyone’s health for this.”
The convention is set to take place from August 17-20 after it was delayed by a month due to the coronavirus pandemic.
