No new cases from RNC in Charlotte as officials track attendee symptoms
There have been no known new positive COVID-19 tests related to the Republican National Convention in Charlotte since the initial announcement of positive cases in August, Mecklenburg County Health Director Gibbie Harris said Wednesday.
Four people at the RNC — two attendees and two local support staff — were diagnosed with COVID-19 after they were tested upon arrival at the convention, officials disclosed Aug. 28. As a result, county officials said, 14 people were potentially exposed and advised to quarantine.
Since then, there have been no known positive tests related to the RNC in Charlotte.
“That’s the good news,” Harris told county commissioners Wednesday. Tracking for symptoms will continue 21 days following the event.
Early on, there were concerns of whether the event — the largest held indoors in Charlotte since the start of the pandemic — would worsen the spread of the virus. The public may need to wait weeks for an “after-action” report detailing the full scope of infections linked to the event.
About 800 people were tested by the local hospital systems for the event. A spokeswoman for the RNC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The 2020 RNC in Charlotte only had one formal day of traditional political convention activities, as the event was limited due to local public health restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus. Event officials promised to enforce mask wearing and distancing, which eased some of the concerns of health officials who were wary of the event, even if only a few hundred people attended.
At the convention last month though, many attendees could be seen maskless and gathering in groups. Harris reached out to RNC organizers during the event with concerns about adherence to public health guidelines. She said at the time she was assured that RNC staff would enforce them.
A spokeswoman for Dr. Mandy Cohen, North Carolina’s top health official, said after the convention that she was disappointed that the RNC did not follow through on its public health plans.
This story was originally published September 9, 2020 at 5:41 PM.