HARRIS CANCELS TRAVEL AMID VIRUS OUTBREAK
2 who were around VP nominee test positive for the coronavirus
Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris canceled her travel through this coming weekend after two people who were around her tested positive for coronavirus, the campaign said Thursday, another twist in a race that has been repeatedly shaken by the global pandemic.
A person who recently flew on the same plane as Joe Biden also tested positive, the campaign said, but that individual was never within 50 feet of the former vice president, who is not taking any additional steps to quarantine himself.
Harris, a Democratic senator from California who had stepped off the campaign trail to participate in confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, tested negative for the virus Wednesday and Thursday, the campaign said.
Harris has not been in close contact recently with either communications director Liz Allen or the
other person around her who tested positive, a flight attendant who is not a campaign staff member, an aide said.
Harris noted that the Biden campaign is following public health recommendations.
“We wanted to make sure that we were adhering to what has been, I think, a very appropriate and strict level of seriousness around the caution that we are exercising to make sure everyone is safe,” Harris said
during a virtual fundraiser Thursday afternoon. “Obviously, it’s been in stark contrast to you know who.”
The apparent reference to President Donald Trump was part of a broader attempt by the campaign to contrast Trump’s handling of the recent coronavirus outbreak at the White House.
Trump, who announced on Oct. 2 that he’d contracted the virus, has disregarded the advice of public health officials on wearing masks and avoiding large gatherings.
Biden said the person who traveled on his plane to Ohio and Florida this week was never near him, and his doctor concluded there was no need for him to quarantine.
“Not only was the individual 50+ feet away and wearing a mask, but I was wearing an N-95 mask,” Biden tweeted. “No members of my staff were in contact with this crew member either.”
The decision for Harris to leave the campaign trail was made “out of an abundance of caution,” said Biden campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon. She added that even while staying put, Harris will keep “a robust and aggressive schedule of virtual campaign activities to reach voters all across the country during this time.”
The announcements were the latest jolt to an already unprecedented campaign; the Democratic running mate now joins Trump in having been sidelined from the trail for at least a short period during the final stretch of the race.
The news, which caught some close Biden allies by surprise, reflects the perils of trying to campaign during a pandemic, even with strict safety protocols in place. The results could muddy the Biden campaign’s message that Trump’s recent coronavirus infection, along with that of several people in his close orbit, is a direct result of his reckless disregard for public health recommendations.
But the Biden campaign was at pains Thursday to draw a distinction between its behavior and that of Trump and his team. The Biden campaign immediately revealed who tested positive and when, disclosed details of Harris’s most recent test results, and quickly announced that it was conducting contact tracing — unlike the White House after Trump’s diagnosis.
Aides signaled that the campaign was not planning to make any major changes as a result of the diagnoses. “Our protocols are how we identified positive cases. They worked, and we’ll continue to use them,” said Biden press secretary TJ Ducklo.
Trump told Fox Business Network on Thursday that he is not being tested for the virus daily, despite previous White House suggestions that he was. “I’m tested — not every day, but I’m tested a lot,” he told host Stuart Varney.
At a news briefing in late July, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said of the president, “He’s tested more than anyone, multiple times a day.”