As the former vice president began answering the first question of the debate, which was on the topic of the coronavirus, his voice sounded hoarse, and he appeared to try and clear his throat by coughing into his hand.
“First of all, my heart goes out to those —,” he said before clearing his throat, “— who have already lost someone or those suffering from the virus. This is bigger than any one of us.”
Joe Biden begins an answer to a question about how he would respond to the #coronavirus by coughing into his hand. pic.twitter.com/kxQRFQs3BI
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 16, 2020
Biden and the only other main presidential candidate left in the contest, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, bumped elbows instead of shaking hands at the beginning of the debate.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urges people on its website to “cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow” and to “immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.” The CDC also recommends people who cannot immediately wash their hands to use “hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.”
CNN, the network hosting the debate, said it had placed the candidates’ lecterns six feet apart, following CDC guidelines for how to limit the spread of the coronavirus. – READ MORE
Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --