Democrats to postpone convention amid COVID-19 concerns

The Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is expected to be postponed due to rising COVID-19 concerns.

The convention will be moved to the week of Aug. 17, according to a release from the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC).

The event was previously scheduled to take place July 13-16.

"In our current climate of uncertainty, we believe the smartest approach is to take additional time to monitor how this situation unfolds so we can best position our party for a safe and successful convention," Joe Solmonese, CEO of the DNCC, said in a statement. "During this critical time, when the scope and scale of the pandemic and its impact remain unknown, we will continue to monitor the situation and follow the advice of health care professionals and emergency responders."

According to the DNCC, the Fiserv Forum, Wisconsin Center District and accomodations at hotels in the surrounding area are available in August for the adjustment.

The committee stated it will now look at options for potentially adjusting the convention’s format, crowd size and schedule to prevent "unnecessary risk to public health."