Biden and Trump won't shake hands or wear masks at first presidential debate

Joe Biden and Donald Trump will not shake hands or wear masks when they enter their first of three planned presidential debates on 29 September, among several health precautions during the coronavirus pandemic that will impact the closely watched event.

Neither candidate will shake hands with the moderator, Fox News correspondent Chris Wallace.

Debate organisers and officials at debate host Case Western Reserve University in Ohio are following health guidelines and restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic to limit the size of the in-studio audience and restrict the candidates’ interactions.

“Everyone in the debate hall will be subject to a variety of health safety protocols, including Covid-19 testing,” said Peter Eyre, senior adviser for the Commission on Presidential Debates.

A “small number of ticketed guests” will attend the event, he said.

The commission did not respond to The Independent’s request for the size of the audience and seating arrangements; Frank Fahrenkopf, CPD co-chairman told CNN that as many as 70 people will attend in-person.

Mr Trump will stand at a podium on the right of the stage, and his Democratic opponent will appear on the left.

The candidates will not deliver opening statements but will instead face a round of questions from Mr Matthews, who will be seated at a desk facing the candidates.

His first question will go to Mr Trump.

The 90-minute debate will proceed without commercial interruption and will consist of six segments, at 15 minutes each, covering Covid-19, the economy, the future of the US Supreme Court, “race and violence in our cities” and “the integrity of the election,” as well as dives into their respective records.

Mr Wallace will pose a question, and each candidate will have two minutes to respond, then time to respond to each other’s remarks. The balance of the time will be used for a “deeper discussion” on the topic, the commission has announced.

The debate is scheduled to begin at 9pm EST on 29 September.

It will air on major news networks and stream online on other platforms, including YouTube.

Vice president Mike Pence and vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris will debate on 7 October at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. USA Today’s Washington bureau chief Susan Page will moderate.

A second presidential debate is scheduled for 15 October at the Adrienne Arsht Centre for the Performing Arts in Miami. C-SPAN’s senior producer and political editor Steve Scully will moderate.

That debate will take the format of a town hall with questions posed by uncommitted voters in Florida.

A third and final debate is set for 22 October at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. NBC correspondent and TODAY co-anchor Kristen Welker will moderate.