They have a new start date.

But everything else remains in flux with the 2020 Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee.

Thursday's announcement that the convention was pushed back from mid-July to the week of August 17 provided convention organizers time to cope with the coronavirus pandemic.

But much remained unknown, including the convention's format, crowd size and schedule.

Even the August date came with no guarantees that the virus will have subsided enough so that a large crowd can gather in one space.

"We moved with the pandemic," said U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Milwaukee), a co-chair of the local host committee.

With the outbreak of the virus across the United States, including Milwaukee in early March, planners had to adapt on the fly. And they're still going to have to make alterations to an event that was supposed to be staged July 13-16 and attract up to 50,000 people to Milwaukee.

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The postponement of the Summer Olympics in Japan provided a window for Democrats to move their big event, slotting in ahead of the Republican convention in Charlotte, N.C., Aug. 24-27.

"After a great deal of scenario planning and giving thought to how it is this event can have the greatest impact in the electoral process and the greatest impact in terms of what we can bring to Milwaukee, we felt the best decision, not knowing all the answers, was to delay this," Democratic National Convention CEO Joe Solmonese told the Journal Sentinel.

"After checking with hotels and venues and Fiserv, we determined the week of August 17 was the best week to move it to," he said.

"More than anything we continue to monitor the public health landscape," Solmonese said.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett called the decision "absolutely the right move" by the organizers and the Democratic National Committee.

"It underscores the commitment that they have made to Milwaukee," he said. "It underscores the commitment they have made to Wisconsin and it is my hope that by having it in August it will be a much needed shot in the arm for our restaurants, hotels and other businesses."

Barrett said he hoped that by August, the city would be recovering from crisis.

He acknowledged that he didn't know how many visitors would come for the convention — and that there will be some logistical challenges.

"I'm confident that we'll be able to work with the hotels. I think that hotels will be very, very eager to work with the convention, because, again, this is a new world we're living in," Barrett said.

Alex Lasry, financial chair of the convention's host committee, said: "This is the right decision for the safety of those involved in the convention for Milwaukee. An August convention will provide a much needed economic boost for Milwaukee and Wisconsin as we come out of this unprecedented time."

The move effectively sets off a logistical scramble to accommodate the thousands of delegates that will descend upon Milwaukee to nominate the Democratic ticket that will take on President Donald Trump in the fall.

Fundraising, which was on track before the pandemic hit, will have to be reignited in an uncertain economic environment. Thousands of volunteers will also have to be recruited.

"Leadership means being able to adapt, and that's exactly what our party is doing," DNC Chair Tom Perez said in a statement. "The city of Milwaukee has been an incredible partner, especially over the past few weeks as we've confronted this global crisis, and we couldn't be more committed to highlighting Wisconsin as a key battleground state, as it is at the center of so many of Trump's broken promises."

Perez said the party "will continue to be in contact with local, state, and federal health officials as we monitor this fluid situation."

Convention organizers confirmed that planned main venues will be available in August: Fiserv Forum, UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, Miller High Life Theatre and the Wisconsin Center, as well as hotel accommodations in the surrounding area.

The statement said: "The convention planning team will now use the coming weeks to further explore all options to ensure nominating the next president of the United States is done without unnecessary risk to public health."

The move was signaled Wednesday by Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden who told Jimmy Fallon of the "The Tonight Show," "I doubt whether the Democratic convention is going to be able to be held in mid-July or early July. I think it’s going to have to move into August."

In a Tuesday interview, Biden said: "We were able to … in the middle of a Civil War all the way through to World War II have Democratic and Republican conventions and primaries and elections and still have public safety. And we're able to do both. But the fact is it may have to be different."

The Wisconsin Center District, which oversees three of the convention venues, is working to reschedule events in August to accommodate the new DNC date.

Coordinating with other events

Marty Brooks, district president and chief executive officer, said he expects to be able to successfully keep rescheduled events in Milwaukee, including Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co.'s annual agents meeting.

Northwestern Mutual on Thursday night released a statement saying initial conversations with Fiserv Forum officials indicate that its meeting can still occur Aug 9-12 without conflicting with preparation for the DNC's new dates.

Meanwhile, some businesses are continuing to prepare for what they hope will be a DNC boon.

Turner Hall, which is owned by Milwaukee Turners Inc., plans to host CNN's pop-up broadcast and hospitality hub, known as CNN Grill.

That's according to a new filing with the Milwaukee Historic Preservation Commission, which must approve proposed temporary exterior signs and lighting at the historic downtown building, 1038 N. Vel Phillips Ave.

CNN Grill will be a place "where journalists, influencers, lawmakers and political junkies all gather to witness on-air programming in the making, while enjoying lively political conversation and some of the best food in town," the proposal said.

Turner Hall's existing restaurant is Tavern at Turner Hall. It is operated by Mike Eitel's Caravan Hospitality.

John Diedrich of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.