- The site of the
Republican National Convention says it will now require mask-wearing indoors. - Jacksonville, Florida, announced Monday it would require people to wear masks indoors as COVID-19 cases spike in the Sunshine State.
- President Trump had previously pulled out of Charlotte, North Carolina, the original site for the convention, over complaints its COVID-19 restrictions would've prevented him from filling the arena to full capacity.
- Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry was reportedly not present at the
news conference.
The city of Jacksonville, Florida, says it will now require people to wear indoors, and that's likely going complicate President
The announcement was made shortly after noon ET on Monday, with Politico first reporting the development.
Trump and his campaign initially sought out Jacksonville upon leaving the planned site of Charlotte, North Carolina, after the president expressed frustration over not being able to pack the city's arena for the GOP convention.
Official business will still take place in Charlotte as there are contracts to be fulfilled, but Jacksonville will be the site of speeches and the more TV-friendly convention events.
Last week, amid rising new cases of COVID-19 in Florida and concerns in Jacksonville's Duval County over the Trump show coming to town, Republican Mayor Lenny Curry's office told Insider the mayor would "encourage" rally-goers to wear masks but stopped short of calling for a mandate.
Curry was reportedly absent from the news conference announcing the mandatory mask measure on Monday, with a spokeswoman telling The New York Times' Miami bureau chief that he had had a "family commitment."
—Patricia Mazzei (@PatriciaMazzei) June 29, 2020
According to Politico, a "turning point" for the mayor's office came when US Coast Guard and Navy facilities in Jacksonville recently mandated indoor mask-wearing.
Curry said he remains supportive of the convention taking place in his city, according to city-hall sources who spoke with Politico anonymously.