Eleven people involved in the set-up and planning of Tuesday night’s presidential debate have now tested positive for COVID-19, the city of Cleveland has confirmed, as debate moderator Chris Wallace revealed that Donald Trump and his family arrived too late to take the suggested COVID test.
‘The City of Cleveland is aware of positive cases of COVID-19 following the Sept. 29 presidential debate,’ the city said in a statement.
‘In total, at this time, we are aware of 11 cases stemming from pre-debate planning and set-up, with the majority of cases occurring among out of state residents.’
They said no city residents appear so far to have contracted the virus as a result of this event.
Shortly before their announcement, Wallace on Friday afternoon told his Fox News colleague Bill Hemmer that the Trump party was not tested.
‘There was an honor system when it came to the people who came into the hall from the two campaigns,’ Wallace said.
Wallace arrived in Cleveland on Sunday, in time to be tested.
‘They couldn’t be tested by the clinic,’ Wallace said.
‘They didn’t arrive until Tuesday afternoon. So for them to get tested, there wouldn’t have been enough time to have the test and have the debate at 9 that night. They didn’t show up until 3, 4, 5 in the afternoon.’
‘Members of the Commission were not especially happy with the fact that the presidential party was not wearing masks,’ Wallace.
‘There seems to have been a disregard for the risks of this virus.’
Trump and his wife Melania both tested positive on Thursday evening, with the results disclosed shortly after midnight, in the early hours of Friday.
On Friday evening the president’s condition worsened, and he was taken by helicopter to the Walter Reed Medical Center.
Ahead of the debate, doctors from a clinic in Cleveland, providing medical support for the event, asked all attendees to wear face masks.
The Trump contingent refused once in their seats, according to NBC News.
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Source: Daily Mail
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