Kayla Mueller’s parents will be Pence’s guests tonight
Mike Pence‘s team agreed Tuesday night to allow the Commission on Presidential Debates to erect a plexiglass barrier near the vice president for tonight’s debate in Salt Lake City, a Pence aide and commission member told CNN, bringing an end for now the negotiations over coronavirus safety precautions around the contest.
Pence’s team made it clear throughout the week that they thought putting any plexiglass barriers near the vice president was unnecessary and that they opposed such a move.
Sen. Kamala Harris‘ team, however, wanted the plexiglass barriers, in part, because of the ongoing spread of coronavirus inside the White House and the fact that Pence attended a Rose Garden event over a week ago that may have been the genesis of the spread. Pence has since repeatedly tested negative for the virus.
Physical barriers like plexiglass are typically recommended when social distancing cannot be maintained. The candidates will be separated by 12 feet on stage. Masks are considered the best defense against both droplet and aerosolized transmission of the virus.
A member of the commission said the decision came on Tuesday evening, adding that there will now be two curved plexiglass barriers between Pence and Harris, one close to the vice president and one close to the California senator.
The commission member said the Pence team agreed Tuesday evening that “if (Harris) feels safer having it up on her side, they will leave it up on his side.”
Pence and Harris have tested negative for coronavirus ahead of tonight’s showdown.
Debate organizers are requiring that anyone in the hall other than the candidates and the moderator must wear a face mask, all of which came after they were advised to make changes by their medical advisers at the Cleveland Clinic.
Some debate background: The addition of the plexiglass to the debate tonight is the latest sign of how the ongoing coronavirus outbreak inside the Trump administration has reshaped the final month of the presidential campaign.
The health decisions made for the vice presidential debate tonight will certainly hang over the two future presidential debates — one in Miami on Oct. 15 and another in Nashville on Oct. 22.
Trump has said that he plans to show up for the forthcoming debates despite his positive coronavirus diagnosis, leading debate organizers to consider a host of contingencies for how to host each debate safely. One possible option is to hold the debates virtually.
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