Debate Commission Ramps Up COVID-19 Safety For Vice Presidential Debate Following Trump Diagnosis

COVID-19 security has ramped up for the upcoming debate between Sen. Kamala Harris, and Vice President Mike Pence, following Donald Trump’s positive diagnosis with the virus. There will be new measures such as increased separation and plexiglass barriers, as well as heightened enforcement of testing and distancing guidelines already in place.

Both Pence and Sen. Harris, D-Calif., have tested negative for COVID-19 recently, but after Trump tested positive the distance between the debaters has been increased from the standard seven feet to over 12. The debate commission has also announced they will be erecting plexiglass barriers between the debaters, as well as in front of the moderator. They are still deciding the dimensions of the barrier.

A security perimeter has already been established around the debate hall, requiring that anyone who enters demonstrate that they have tested negative within 72 hours, KUTV reports.

Pence’s staff has pushed back on some requested measures, refusing to have the debaters stand rather than sit. They initially objected to the plexiglass barrier, as well. Katie Miller, a Pence spokeswoman, told Politico, “If Sen. Harris wants to use a fortress around herself, have at it.”

Masks and separation were mandated at the first presidential debate Sept. 29, but Trump’s family and campaign staff openly defied those rules by not wearing masks and arriving late, refusing masks offered by organizers. Just days later a slew of positive test results was announced from campaign officials and Trump himself. That debate’s moderator, Chris Wallace, told Fox that this time, those who don’t wear masks will be “escorted from the hall.”

Trump’s campaign has regularly ignored COVID-19 safety guidelines, even after Trump contracted the virus. While hospitalized and infectious, Trump left the hospital to be driven around and wave to supporters, the Washington Post reports.

Trump left the hospital after only a short stay over the weekend, performing a photo op immediately afterward in which he removed his mask. Many on Twitter noted that he appeared to be having difficulty breathing. He tweeted that his supporters should not be afraid of the lethal virus that has killed approximately 210,000 Americans.