Be Like NASCAR, Submit Coronavirus Plan, NC Governor Tells RNC

NORTH CAROLINA — In the wake of a presidential threat over the weekend, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is asking the Republican National Convention to put in writing its plans for the summer convention slated to take place in Charlotte. Those plans, he said, need to include contingencies for possible coronavirus restrictions.

North Carolina is currently under a "Phase 2" executive order, which bans mass gatherings for groups of 25 or more outdoors and 10 or more indoors. That executive order is set to be in place through at least June 26.

Over the weekend, as the state reported a record number of COVID-19 confirmed cases and hospitalizations, President Donald Trump took aim at the public health order. He threatened to pull the Republican National Convention, scheduled for late August, if the state couldn't guarantee "full attendance" at the event.

Tuesday afternoon, he doubled down on the threat, saying Cooper needed to make a decision in the next week. "If he can’t do it, if he feels he’s not going to do it, all he has to do is tell us," Trump said at a White House news briefing. "And then we’ll have to pick another location. And I tell you a lot of locations want it."

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Trump's comments Monday quickly prompted offers from other states to host the convention. "In terms of the RNC, Florida would love to have the RNC," Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters in Miami. "Heck, I'm a Republican. It would be good to have the DNC in terms of the economic impact when you talk about major events like that."

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, one of the first governors to reopen a state, said Atlanta would be happy to host the GOP gathering.

The city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County responded to Trump's comments in a joint statement Monday that they, alongside stakeholders, continue to plan for the event while "respecting national and state guidance regarding the pandemic," and anticipate providing guidance to the RNC, as well as organizers of other large events planned for the city in June.

"I'm not surprised by anything I see on Twitter," Cooper said Tuesday afternoon, publicly addressing Trump's threat for the first time.

The request for coronavirus contingency plans from the RNC is not without precedent, he said.

State officials have had ongoing discussions with RNC officials to discuss the kind of convention they want and the options state public health officials would like to see as the state continues to grapple with the spread of COVID-19, Cooper said. As of Tuesday, North Carolina had 24,140 confirmed cases and 766 deaths.

"We've had discussions with them from a very limited convention, all the way up," Cooper said. "We want to see in writing what their plans are. We asked NASCAR to do the very same thing."

Last month, NASCAR got the green light for the Coca-Cola 600 held this past weekend after it submitted similar plans to state public health officials. The event became the first major sporting event held in the state since the pandemic began.

"NASCAR ran the Coca-Cola 600 without spectators and used appropriate social distancing, face covering, hand hygiene and signage," North Carolina's Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen said Tuesday afternoon.

"They took precautions seriously and had a great event that was enjoyed by millions," she said. "Let's all take the precautions that NASCAR did."

The request for a written plan mirrors similar conversations with the Carolina Panthers, the Charlotte Hornets and other large arena owners, the governor added.

"We're talking about an event that's three months from now, and we don't know what our situation is going to be regarding COVID-19," Cooper said.

"Everybody wants to get back into action soon, but I think everybody knows that we have to take some steps to make sure that people are protected because this virus is still going to be with us in August," Cooper said.

"I will say that it's OK for political conventions to be political, but pandemic response cannot be," he said.

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