#Mike Pence says RNC will have ‘sophisticated’ coronavirus plan

Vice President Mike Pence says the Republican National Convention in Florida next month will have “very sophisticated plans” to prevent spread of the coronavirus.

Pence, visiting Florida on Thursday, spoke as the state reported a surge in new cases — topping 10,000 daily diagnoses for the first time.

“We are excited about coming to Jacksonville,” Pence said at an event with Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. “I was in a meeting not long ago when I heard about some very sophisticated plans to make sure it’s a safe and healthy environment.”

Pence leads the White House coronavirus task force and was responding to a question about whether elderly people should avoid the gathering.

The RNC is scheduled to begin on Aug. 24. President Trump ordered the event be moved from Charlotte, North Carolina, after local Democratic officials there indicated they did not want a traditional nominating event.

Pence did not elaborate on the plans for the RNC. When cases surged in March, the White House performed mandatory temperature checks and later tested visitors and journalists who come near Trump or Pence. The temperature checks recently ended.

The vice president’s trip to Florida comes amid a national spike in COVID-19 cases driven by new infections across the South, Arizona and California. In response to the spike, Republican officials increasingly have encouraged mask wearing.

It’s unclear if the RNC will require masks. Many Republican House members still refuse to wear masks, and masks distributed by the Trump campaign at a recent rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, largely were not worn.

Pence stressed that many weeks remain before the RNC.

“Our job right now is to do everything in our power to support the efforts of your governor and the people of Florida to bring these numbers down,” Pence said.

“And we believe we can. And it is July the second, two days before the Fourth of July. We have, we believe, an opportunity in front of us now beginning right now for every one of us to take personal responsibility for the role that we’re playing here.”