/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5f9216fdfd1d7efa308b6a83/0x0.jpg?cropX1=0&cropX2=3200&cropY1=46&cropY2=1845&w=1200&resize=1200,675&ssl=1 "Trump And Biden Will Debate Without Plexiglass Shields")
Topline
President Donald Trump and challenger Joe Biden will reportedly face off in the final presidential debate Thursday night without plexiglass dividers separating them, following negative coronavirus tests from both candidates — a reversal from debate organizers’ initial plans.
Democratic Presidential candidate and former US Vice President Joe Biden (L) and US President Donald … [+]
AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
The Commission on Presidential Debates initially placed a tall plexiglass divider next to each candidate’s podium on the debate stage in Nashville, Tenn., but both campaigns agreed to remove the barriers after the candidates tested negative, CNN reported.
White House coronavirus advisor Anthony Fauci told organizers the dividers were unlikely to make a difference, Commission co-chair Frank Fahrenkopf told CNN.
The Commission used plexiglass to separate vice presidential hopefuls Mike Pence and Kamala Harris earlier this month, though that debate was less than a week after Trump tested positive, prompting concerns that the president may have infected Pence.
The Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Surprising Fact
Some experts say the dividers would not have protected anybody. If one of the candidates is contagious, small virus particles could still float above or next to the dividers and eventually reach their opponent, and Trump and Biden’s podiums are already spaced so far apart that spit and other larger particles probably can’t travel between the candidates anyways.
Crucial Quote
“Those barriers are a joke. It is just theater, to make it look like they are taking some precautions,” Jose-Luis Jimenez, a University of Colorado chemistry professor who studies the virus, told CNBC before the vice presidential debate.
Key Background
Trump tested positive for Covid-19 just two days after the first presidential debate last month, turning debate safety into a political issue weeks before Election Day. Trump’s campaign initially resisted plans to separate Pence and Harris with plexiglass shields, though the campaign eventually accepted them. The Commission later planned to host the second presidential debate virtually with candidates participating in separate locations, following fears Trump may still be contagious, but the president refused to participate and the event was cancelled as a result. Some observers have encouraged the Commission to switch to a virtual format for the final debate, but organizers still pressed forward with an in-person event.
Tangent
During the first presidential debate, members of Trump’s family reportedly refused to wear masks, despite requests from venue staff. The Commission said it plans to enforce audience safety rules more stringently on Thursday night
Further Reading
Can Plexiglass Dividers Really Stop Covid-19 Coronavirus In Vice Presidential Debate? (Forbes)
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