4 Test Positive for COVID at RNC

All were sent home upon arrival
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 28, 2020 2:33 PM CDT
4 Test Positive for COVID at GOP Convention
President Trump speaks at the Republican National Convention in Charlotte on Monday.   (Travis Dove/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

Health officials in Charlotte said Friday they conducted 792 coronavirus tests connected to the Republican National Convention, and four test results—for two attendees and two local employees—were positive, the Hill reports. "We had diligent safety protocols in place, including testing all attendees before arriving in Charlotte, and again upon arrival," a party official said. The four people who tested positive did so upon arrival and were sent home, per Politico. The party also issued badges to attendees that logged their movements to help contact tracers if needed. The original plans for a full convention were reduced to allow for a few hundred delegates to nominate President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence on Monday. Both traveled to Charlotte to address the delegates.

Mecklenburg County health officials were worried by the lack of social distancing and masks during the roll call vote on the Trump's nomination, per the Observer. Delegates can be seen on video crowding together, often for photos. The four who tested positive were told to isolate; those who were in close contact with them also were told to self-quarantine. The county's public health director said people in the Charlotte area were not at heightened risk. "There have been no known incidences during the five days of RNC meetings in Charlotte where the public has potentially been exposed," she said. The county said the number of new infections has been falling, but nearly 25,000 confirmed coronavirus cases have been reported overall. (More coronavirus stories.)

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