Sanders, Biden both cancel election-night rallies over coronavirus, will evaluate future events

(Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The novel coronavirus prompted both Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former Vice President Joe Biden to cancel their election-night rallies in Cleveland, Ohio, on Tuesday evening. The two candidates are going head-to-head in six states, including Ohio, on Tuesday, but they won't be celebrating any potential victories with their supporters.

There's seemingly nothing Cleveland-specific about the decisions — it appears both candidates would have reached the same decision regardless of location, and instead acted on advice of Ohio officials who cautioned against hosting large public gatherings, especially indoors, as COVID-19 cases rise across the United States.

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Biden's team is taking the same route, and will continue to work with public officials to reach decisions. Tim O'Donnell

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.