Mike Pence and Kamala Harris to sit 13-feet apart separated by plexiglass at Wednesday's vice presidential debate after President Trump's positive coronavirus test

Politico

The Commission on Presidential Debates has approved plans for plexiglass to be used at Wednesday's debate at the University of Utah, despite objections from Vice President Pence's team, according to Politico. "Plexiglass is expected to be used as a barrier between Vice President Mike Pence and California Sen. Kamala Harris, as well as between the two candidates and moderator Susan Page," reports Politico's Alex Isenstadt and Christopher Cadelago. "The plans have the support of the Cleveland Clinic, which is helping to set health protocols for the forums amid the pandemic. The Pence and Harris teams have been negotiating the terms of the debate in recent days. Following Friday’s news that President Donald Trump had contracted Covid-19, the debate commission decided to move the two candidates seats from seven feet to 13 feet apart. But the two camps were split over whether to erect a plexiglass barrier, according to people familiar with the talks. Harris' campaign supported it, Pence's opposed it." A Pence spokesperson said: "If Sen. Harris wants to use a fortress around herself, have at it." At last week's presidential debate, Joe Biden and President Trump stood 15-feet apart. This will be the second use of a plexiglass barrier in a debate since Trump's positive coronavirus diagnosis. During Saturday's debate between Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham and Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison, Harrison put a plexiglass barrier between himself and the incumbent.