(Update: Bernie Sanders’s campaign has announced it will cancel its rally in Cleveland, Ohio, since the publication of this article. Joe Biden’s campaign followed suit shortly thereafter.)
Now a two-man battle, the race for the Democratic nomination is intensifying. So is the spread of coronavirus.
The coronavirus has now made its way to the Midwest, where many of this week’s primary elections are scheduled to take place. In Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine declared a state of emergency after three people near Columbus and Cleveland tested positive for the virus. He’s urging Ohio residents to cancel events and vote absentee in next week’s primary election, and most concerned citizens are heeding his advice — except for Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders.
Both candidates are scheduled to hold campaign rallies in the state this week, and neither plans to cancel. The Sanders campaign released a statement on Tuesday urging older Americans, who are more likely to catch and disproportionately suffer from the virus, not to attend his upcoming rallies. But he made it clear this weekend that he has no intention of slowing down.
Meanwhile, Biden has instructed volunteers to dollop hand sanitizer onto people’s hands as they enter his rallies. This might be a good sanitary precaution, but it won’t prevent attendees from catching the coronavirus.
For the sake of public health, Biden and Sanders should cancel their campaign events. We might not know much about the COVID-19 virus, but we do know a few things: It spreads quickly and unnoticeably, and many of its victims remain asymptomatic for weeks. It’s more than likely, then, that the coronavirus has claimed more than three victims in Ohio. We’re just not sure how many — at least, not yet.
We also know that reducing public contact and encouraging distance helps prevent the spread of the virus. This is why dozens of public events have been canceled or delayed over the past few weeks, and even more companies have been encouraging employees to work from home if possible.
Yet Sanders and Biden refuse to cancel events in which hundreds of people, some of whom could have been exposed to the virus, will be crammed together in a small space. This is a problem that supersedes any political aspiration. Will canceling events in important states affect Biden’s and Sanders’s respective electoral chances? Probably. Presence is important, especially on the campaign trail. But the public’s well-being is even more important.
The bitter irony in all of this is that by continuing with business as usual, Biden and Sanders are committing the same crime for which they’ve attacked President Trump: They’re not taking this virus seriously.
Biden has said the president is not treating the coronavirus outbreak like the public threat it is, urging Trump to “just be quiet.” And Sanders has criticized Trump for caring about the falling markets more than the lack of preparation for what could become a pandemic.
These criticisms are fair. But neither Biden nor Sanders has proved himself to be any different. Both candidates are putting the Democratic vote total ahead of the public’s health. They’ve heard the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s warnings about the health risks posed by public events, yet they refuse to commit to the one preventative action that is within their power.
Hand sanitizer and health warnings will not be enough. Sanders and Biden must cancel their events and do what is best for the public, even if that means sacrificing what is best for themselves. That’s what any good leader would do.
