Pence Team Says Harris Can 'Surround Herself With Plexiglas' During VP Debate But It's 'Not Needed'

Vice President Mike Pence has refused to use a Plexiglas barrier during his upcoming vice presidential debate with Senator Kamala Harris.

Plexiglas barriers were one of the safety modifications announced Monday by the Commission on Presidential Debates. Concerns about the safety of the debate were raised after the recent COVID-19 diagnosis of President Donald Trump and a host of other Republicans, although Pence has tested negative for the virus multiple times since then.

"If she wants it, she's more than welcome to surround herself with Plexiglas if that makes her feel more comfortable," Marc Short, Pence's chief of staff, told The Washington Post on Tuesday. "It's not needed."

The debate between Pence and Harris, the running mate of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, is set to take place Wednesday night in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the only vice presidential debate scheduled, although two more debates are planned between Trump and Biden.

In addition to Plexiglas barriers, preventative measures announced by the debate commission include daily testing and an increase in the distance between the candidates during the debate, moving from almost 7 feet to just over 12 feet. Face masks will be required for debate attendees, with those who refuse being ejected from the auditorium.

"Senator Harris will be at the debate, respecting the protections that the Cleveland Clinic has put in place to promote safety for all concerned," Harris campaign spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told CNN. "If the Trump administration's war on masks has now become a war on safety shields, that tells you everything you need to know about why their Covid response is a failure."

A similar Plexiglas divider surrounded Jaime Harrison, the Democratic challenger to Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, as the pair debated in Columbia, South Carolina on Saturday. Harrison said he was using the barrier because potentially contracting the virus was "not just about me," citing concerns about his family while also noting during the debate that an aunt recently died from COVID-19.

Pence has not quarantined as the debate approaches. His team has touted negative test results for the vice president and insisted that he has had no "close contact" with anyone who tested positive for the virus, despite being in the Oval Office with Trump two days before his positive result.

Pence was also potentially exposed to the virus at the White House event announcing Trump's nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court on September 26, which is suspected of being the source of the outbreak that saw Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and a growing number of prominent Republicans contract COVID-19.

Trump plans to take part in the remaining presidential debates with Biden despite his COVID-19 diagnosis, saying he is "looking forward to" the next planned meeting in Miami, Florida on October 15. Biden has said that he will proceed as long as preventative measures are taken and the debate is deemed medically safe.

The president has sought to downplay the virus since being diagnosed early Friday morning. Trump removed his face mask to be photographed and filmed for a campaign-style video message after returning to the White House from Walter Reed Medical Center on Monday night, while urging the public to "get out there" and "not be afraid" of the virus.

Newsweek reached out to Harris and the Biden campaign for comment.