The DNC has been adamant that planning for the convention is continuing on schedule. But Joe Biden, the party’s likely nominee, set off a new round of questions about the convention Tuesday night, when he said on MSNBC, “It‘s hard to envision” the convention going off as originally planned after the outbreak. Biden added that the convention was originally scheduled to avoid competing for TV coverage with the 2020 Olympics — which have since been postponed.
“There’s more time now,” Biden said.

A Biden adviser told POLITICO the timing of the convention is on the table. “As [Biden] said, listening to scientific and medical experts in order to ensure public safety is his top priority and any decisions regarding a convention schedule, if he is indeed the nominee, would be made with that as the ultimate consideration.”

An official with the Democratic convention argued that Biden’s comments are “in line” with what convention officials had been saying all along. Their current game plan is that the party is prioritizing public health above all else and developing plans to deal with the unprecedented crisis.

Behind the scenes, however, others involved in planning have grown frustrated with convention officials and the repeated delays in coming up with definitive answers on how they plan to address coronavirus. One Democrat said the planners have repeatedly said they’ll have an update “next week,” but then don’t, leaving Democrats exasperated.

“The DNC hasn’t given us an inkling,” one DNC member said. Another added there is “lots of talk going around, but nothing firm” from DNC staff.

Multiple DNC members also said the committee’s leadership has yet to communicate specific contingency options to them.

“It might be prudent for the DNC to look at options in late August,” Jay Jacobs, chairman of the New York Democratic Party, said last week. “The date that was selected now was a function of trying to come before the Olympics. Now, that’s no longer a factor.”

Many DNC members saw the postponement of the Olympics as both a sign that an in-person convention in July might be impossible and a move that could open up other dates on the calendar for the party’s big quadrennial event. A number of other large, nonpolitical summer events have been canceled — even pop star Justin Bieber postponed his summer tour.

But if the party somehow addressed the public health concerns, a smaller gathering or a so-called “virtual convention” could significantly diminish media coverage that the events are supposed to create, other officials warn. They also caution that it might be harder to bring together the Biden and Bernie Sanders wings of the party and present a united front if the convention is smaller.

The Republican National Committee has faced less anxiety about its convention because it is not scheduled until Aug. 24. The prospect of President Donald Trump being able to put on a full convention in August while Democrats have a virtual or downsized one in July has also contributed to Democrats’ push for a delay.

Besides the concern about getting an earned media bounce and trying to consolidate the party, the likely oncoming recession also raises questions about raising the estimated $70 million necessary to put on the convention. Some corporations that have made financial commitments, such as United Airlines, may no longer be able to keep them. Political campaigns across the country are already seeing their grassroots fundraising slow.

Still, people with knowledge of the convention say everything remains in limbo until it becomes clear exactly how devastating the financial and health crisis will become.

“All of these are just guesses until early May," one of those people said.