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So the CDC Director greenlighted Pence for tonight's debate, saying "the CDC concludes from a public health standpoint, it is safe for the Vice President to participate in the upcoming Vice-Presidential debate."
But this violates their own guidance. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-debate-pence-idUSKBN26R3OK
But this violates their own guidance. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-debate-pence-idUSKBN26R3OK
CDC guidance is very clear. People who have had close contact with someone with COVID-19 must quarantine for 14 days. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/quarantine.html
Dr. Redfield cited Pence's repeated negative tests as the reason he's safe to debate.
The CDC states explicitly that "even if you test negative for COVID-19 or feel healthy, you should stay home (quarantine) since symptoms may appear 2 to 14 days after exposure to the virus."
The CDC states explicitly that "even if you test negative for COVID-19 or feel healthy, you should stay home (quarantine) since symptoms may appear 2 to 14 days after exposure to the virus."
The CDC guidance also provides several helpful scenarios, two of which apply to VP Pence. First, it says he have quarantined as soon as President Trump was diagnosed and continued to do so for 14 days from his last contact.
He didn't do that. He attended two public events with President Trump after the Amy Coney Barrett event on September 26, the last being a coronavirus test kit press conference on September 28. https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2020-10-02/president-trump-covid-19-contact-tracing
Although Pence's physician says he didn't have "close contact" with a known COVID case, that is demonstrably untrue. On September 27, he was in the front row of a reception in the East Room where Trump spoke & on September 28, he shared a stage with Trump. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/vice-president-pence-tests-negative-covid-after-trump-s-diagnosis-n1241787
Furthermore, another CDC scenario lays out how quarantine must be extended if someone has further close contact with someone with COVID-19. Quarantine is 14 days from date of last contact.
Pence claimed that he visited President Trump in the Oval Office on the day of the debate. Being in the same office, likely unmasked, counts as close contact. That means he should be quarantining until October 13th. https://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/politics/elections/2020/10/02/mike-pence-claims-he-met-president-trump-hours-before-debate/3594543001/
It is irresponsible for VP Pence to debate Senator Harris in person tonight, and it is unfortunate that the director of the CDC has chosen to overrule his own agency's guidelines. There is no reason why the debate can't be held remotely.
And lest anyone think I'm being partisan or political, I think that Joe Biden should also be following these guidelines. He should likewise quarantine until October 13th.
