In the face of the coronavirus reestablishing its foothold in dozens of states, next month’s Democratic National Convention will be scaled back to just a few hundred people attending the Milwaukee event in person, The New York Times reports.

Once scheduled to be a meeting with 50,000 in attendance, the convention will now be a formal meeting of approximately 300 people who will grind through the unglamourous business that happens behind the scenes of Party conferences.

Last night, the DNC sent an email to members of Congress and delegates directing them to cancel plans to attend the convention.  Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is committed to attending; presumably his yet-unnamed running mate will attend as well.

While the event will be limited, the standard activities will continue for a television audience.  Stump speeches will be given remotely by Party leaders and guests, with the highlights to be acceptance speeches by Biden and his running mate on consecutive nights.

The Democrats are taking precautions that the republican Party are ignoring, even though many high-profile and power republicans have stated they will not attend the republican National Convention which will be held in Charlotte.  The RNC will hold a parallel public event in Jacksonville, Florida.

The republican celebration in Florida, scheduled at Donald Trump’s insistence so he can see a packed arena when he gives his acceptance speech, will be limited to 7,500 people at any given event, inside or out.

Plus, given that August is peak hurricane season in Florida, the certainty of any outdoor event in Jacksonville is in doubt.