Biden and Harris test negative for the coronavirus, wish Trumps swift recovery

• By Scott Detrow, Sam Gringlas/NPR

Updated at 12:45 p.m.

(Wilmington) – Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, have tested negative for the coronavirus.

The former vice president shared the debate stage with President Trump on Tuesday. Trump has announced he tested positive for the coronavirus. Jill Biden was in attendance.

“Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden underwent PCR testing for COVID-19 today and COVID-19 was not detected,” Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the Bidens’ primary care physician, wrote in a statement Friday afternoon.

Biden tweeted shortly after: “I hope this serves as a reminder: wear a mask, keep social distance, and wash your hands.”

A negative test does not mean the Bidens are completely in the clear, as the virus may not be detectable soon after exposure.

Biden’s campaign has not confirmed whether a planned campaign trip to Michigan is still on for Friday.

Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris, also tested negative for the coronavirus Friday. She will continue with a scheduled campaign stop in Nevada Friday.

Biden and Harris on Friday morning wished the president and first lady Melania Trump a swift recovery after the Trumps said they tested positive for the coronavirus.

Biden and Trump shared a debate stage, maskless, for about 90 minutes on Tuesday night. Their lecterns were more than 6 feet apart, and the two men did not shake hands before or after as a safety measure.

But the president’s family and top aides sat maskless in the front of the audience, even after a Cleveland Clinic staffer offered them facial coverings — a glaring contrast with every other debate guest and staffer in the venue, who were all wearing masks.

Biden’s campaign has taken coronavirus precautions seriously, for political and policy reasons, but also due to the simple fact that virus symptoms have proven to be far more serious for older people and Biden is 77. (Trump is 74.)

Biden did not hold a campaign event outside his home until Memorial Day. His events all summer were carefully orchestrated to minimize risk, with small, sometimes nonexistent audiences, all masked, standing and sitting in designated circles in order to ensure social distancing.

In recent weeks, Biden has begun a more traditional campaign schedule. He has flown to Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina and other swing states, and just completed a whistle-stop train tour through Ohio and Pennsylvania.

That put Biden in contact with much more people, though the campaign continued to take more stringent safety measures than Trump has. The campaign handed out N95 masks to everyone traveling on the train, for example. And Biden — sometimes only due to the consistent prodding of campaign staff — has not shaken hands with any of the voters he interacts with, though he has often stood much closer than 6 feet during conversations.