The Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee is postponed to the week of Aug. 17 from its original dates of July 13-16, the convention Committee announced Thursday morning.
DNC Chair Tom Perez said the decision was made to ensure the health and safety of Milwaukee residents and convention attendees amid the coronavirus pandemic. The move comes during a time of cancellations and postponements of other major events, such as the delayed graduation ceremonies for Marquette seniors and Summerfest’s decision to move the festival to September.
“In our current climate of uncertainty, we believe the smartest approach is to take additional time to monitor how this situation unfolds so we can best position our party for a safe and successful convention,” Joe Solmonese, CEO of the Democratic National Convention Committee, said in a news release. “During this critical time, when the scope and scale of the pandemic and its impact remain unknown, we will continue to monitor the situation and follow the advice of health care professionals and emergency responders.”
The committee said it confirmed that the event’s host location, Fiserv Forum, will remain available in August. It also said the Wisconsin Center District and hotel options will remain available.
“The convention planning team will now use the coming weeks to further explore all options to ensure nominating the next president of the United States is done without unnecessary risk to public health,” Thursday’s news release said.
The committee said it will consider adjusting the format of the convention, crowd size and schedule as it plans for the August event.
This story is developing.
