US Elections 2020: Harris suspends travel after Biden campaign finds third virus link

The in-person events for Democratic vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris have been suspended after at least three people connected to Joe Biden’s presidential campaign tested positive for COVID-19. Biden will carry on with his public schedule because he had no direct exposure to the infected individuals, said his campaign team on October 15.

Biden’s campaign had announced that a non-staff flight crew member and Liz Allen, communications director to Senator Harris, tested positive for coronavirus. As a part of contract tracing effort, an aviation company employee, who was on Biden’s plane for trips to Ohio and Florida earlier this week, also tested positive.

Campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a statement that Harris was not in close contact with either of these individuals during the two days prior to their positive tests. However, the campaign decided to cancel Senator Harris’s travel through October 18 “out of an abundance of caution.” Dillon said that harris will keep a “robust and aggressive” schedule of virtual campaign activities to reach voters all across the country during this time.

“She will return to in-person campaigning on Monday, October 19th. This is the sort of conduct we have continuously modeled in this campaign,” the statement read.

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First major scare for Biden campaign

It has turned out to be the first major coronavirus scare for Biden campaign after months of strict safety precautions that drew mockery from US President Donald Trump. The US President’s refusal to wear a mask in public places was well known but days he got tested positive for COVID-19, Trump had mocked his Democratic rival for wearing a mask.

“I don't wear mask like him. Every time you see he has got a mask. You could be speaking 200 feet away from me and he shows up with the biggest mask I have ever seen,” said Trump during the first of the three Presidential debates on September 29.

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