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Pence's Debate Plans Raise Questions About COVID-19 Risk Management

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Vice President Mike Pence, who recently attended an event in the White House Rose Garden where at least eight people, including President Donald Trump, tested positive for COVID-19, is set to debate California Senator Kamala Harris next Wednesday. Despite Pence's negative COVID-19 test results, his physician's memo stating he is "free to go about his normal activities" seems to contradict the CDC's guidance on when to self-quarantine. Pence's plans to continue campaigning after the debate, despite being in close proximity to the president and others who have contracted the virus, have sparked concerns about the risk of further spreading the disease.

Key Takeaways:

  • Pence's physician, Jesse Schonau, released a memo stating he remains in good health and is free to go about his normal activities, despite attending an event where several people tested positive for COVID-19.
  • The CDC's guidelines suggest a person should quarantine if they were within 6 feet of someone who has COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or more.
  • Pence has tested negative for COVID-19 four times in recent days, including on Monday, but it may not be enough to rule out the possibility of transmission.
  • Pence will be headlining a campaign event in Utah on Monday, despite the concerns raised by his physician's memo and the CDC's guidelines.
  • The debate between Pence and Harris is scheduled for next Wednesday.
  • Jason Miller, a senior campaign adviser to Trump, stated that the campaign will continue to take temperatures and provide hand sanitizer and masks to attendees at rallies.

Statistics:

  • At least 8 people, including President Trump, have tested positive for COVID-19 after attending the Rose Garden event.
  • The CDC estimates that the virus can take 2-14 days to incubate.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic has killed more than 209,000 people in the United States.
  • The virus has affected more than 7 million people in the United States.
  • The presidential election is in 29 days.

Sources:

  • CNN: "Vice President Mike Pence will head to Salt Lake City on Monday afternoon"
  • CDC: "Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)"
  • Twitter: Reid Wilson, "The fact that VP Mike Pence is not isolating is a continuity of government nightmare."
  • CNN: Jason Miller, "We're in a campaign, we have a month to go. We see Joe Biden and Kamala Harris out there campaigning."

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