Washington – The favorite in the Democratic race for the Presidency, former Vice President Joe Biden, suggested this Sunday the possibility of holding the party convention “virtual”, due to the coronavirus crisis.
“We may have to do a virtual convention. I think we should be thinking about it right now,” Biden said during an interview with ABC News.
“We may not be able to fit 10,000, 20,000 or 30,000 people in one place, and that is very possible. Let’s see what happens between now and then, but we have to follow (what the science says),” he added.
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Last Thursday, the Democratic Party decided to delay more than a month the national convention in which it will formally nominate its presidential candidate for the November elections, due to the “uncertainty” generated by the coronavirus pandemic.
The meeting, which was to be held from July 13 to 16 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was scheduled instead for the week of August 17 in that same city.
Organizers of the convention said Thursday that they do not rule out “adjusting the format of the convention, the size of the crowd” in the public or the schedule of activities to “avoid unnecessary risks to public health.”
The coronavirus pandemic, which has already left more than 9,200 dead and 325,000 infected in the US, has forced authorities across the country to enact measures to restrict movements, confine citizens and cancel public events.
Although many experts are confident that the crisis will ease in the United States by the end of July, there is no guarantee that it will be solved by mid-August, and the death throes of the pandemic may complicate the travel plans of some Democratic delegates.
Under the traditional format of American conventions, delegates – who represent the popular vote of Americans – must physically appear at the convention and vote for a particular candidate, a scenario that can be complicated if the crisis drags on.
Biden has an advantage over the other remaining Democratic presidential hopeful, Senator Bernie Sanders, but he does not yet have the 1,991 delegates needed to secure the nomination and therefore cannot take charge of planning the convention.
The 78-year-old former vice president also said Sunday that he will start putting on a mask when he takes to the streets as recommended by US health authorities, unlike President Donald Trump, who has refused to do so.
