Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he would have "significant reservations" about seeing the Republican and Democratic National Conventions go on as planned this summer if the coronavirus crisis continues.
During an interview with CNN Wednesday, Fauci said there's still time to evaluate the situation in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the GOP convention and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for the Democrats' event.
"What I think we need to do, Jim, is reserve judgment right now to see what the situation would be," Fauci told CNN's Jim Sciutto in response to his question regarding how safe it is to hold events in crowded arenas without restrictions amid the pandemic.
"I mean, if we have a really significant diminution in the number of new cases and hospitalizations and we're at a level where it is really very low, then, again, according to the guidelines, you may be able to go to whatever phase you're in and have some sort of a capability of gathering.
"But I think we need to reserve judgment right now because we're still a few months from there. Hopefully, we will see that diminution. If we don't, then as I said before, I would have significant reservations about that."
This week, President Donald Trump put pressure on North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper to allow the GOP convention, scheduled for Aug. 24-27, to be held without restrictions. Cooper responded Tuesday by saying he has asked the state's Republican Party for its plan in regards to keeping the roughly 50,000 attendees safe during the event.
"We have asked them to present a plan on paper to us, laying out the various options that we've already discussed," Cooper said.
North Carolina has seen around 25,000 COVID-19 cases and more than 840 deaths from the virus.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said earlier this month that the DNC could be held in a large stadium with fewer people to allow for better social distancing. And the event, she said, could be cut down to just one day. Right now, it is slated for Aug. 17-20.
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