The Democratic National Committee announced on Thursday it would move the upcoming presidential primary debate from Phoenix, Ariz., to Washington, D.C., due to the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak.
“Out of an abundance of caution and in order to reduce cross-country travel, all parties have decided that the best path forward is to hold Sunday’s debate at CNN’s studio in Washington, D.C., with no live audience,” DNC spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa said in a statement. Shows across multiple networks have eschewed live audiences amid the coronavirus outbreak.
In addition, Jorge Ramos, a Univision news anchor originally booked as one of the debate moderators, announced he would self-quarantine after coming in contact with a possible coronavirus patient.
“Both Mr. Ramos and the person he was in contact with are in good health and symptom free,” Hinojosa said. “Despite being cleared by medical professionals and out of an abundance of caution, Jorge has decided to step aside from participating in the upcoming March 15 Democratic debate.”
Ramos will be replaced by Ilia Calderón, who will moderate along with CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bush.
Former vice president Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) will be the only two candidates at the debate. Biden currently possesses 845 delegates to Sanders’s 693, with Sanders having only a slim chance of winning the nomination.
Nonetheless, Sanders announced on Wednesday that he “looked forward” to debating Biden, and did not drop out of the race.