MIAMI – The plans for Oct. 15 Presidential Town Hall at the Adrienne Arsht Center in downtown Miami are still in place, as President Donald Trump recovers from COVID-19.
Face masks will be required. Dr. Aileen Marty, an infectious disease expert with Florida International University, said Miami is able to host the event safely during the pandemic. She and other public health experts recommended testing, social distancing, hand sanitizing, temperature checks and masking.
“We have to give the president’s condition a few days to see where it goes,” Marty said.
The Associated Press reported Trump’s doctor said Wednesday that the president continued to make progress in his recovery. Dr. Sean Conley, the White House physician, said Trump had declared, “I feel great!”
The center’s Knight Concert Hall has a maximum capacity for 115 guests who can social distance on three separate floors. The stage will have 36 undecided voters, C-SPAN’s Steve Scully, Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. The town hall will be 90 minutes long.
The Cleveland Clinic serves as the health security advisor to the Commission on Presidential Debates. The clinic released a statement saying the guidelines for the event in Miami “are based on scientific data, guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and medical advice.”
Miami-Dade County commissioners approved the Adrienne Arsht Center’s plan in July. The center released a statement saying the plan also follows CDC, state and county health and safety protocols. Tickets for the debate are not available to the public.
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