Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the oldest serving U.S. senator at age 86, told reporters during a conference call Monday he'll be skipping this year's Republican National Convention — the first time he's done so since his election to the Senate in 1980.
"I’m not going to go. And I’m not going to go because of the virus situation," Grassley said, according to the Des Moines Register.
This year's convention is set for August 24-27 in Jacksonville, Florida. The state has seen an uptick in cases in recent weeks, hitting daily records. Older people and those with underlying medical conditions are considered most vulnerable to complications.
The convention originally was to be held in Charlotte, N.C., but the Republican National Committee could not come to agreement with the state over social distancing rules that could have limited attendance.
Grassley still plans to visit 29 Iowa counties during the next two weeks as part of his tour of the state's 99 counties, the newspaper reported. He and his staff will wear face masks, but he said he doesn't think he can require others attending to do so.
"There’s generally a rule that if you’re six feet apart you don’t have to wear a mask, but I think doing both makes common sense and I’m going to encourage people to do both," Grassley said.
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