Presidential Debate Moderator Chris Wallace Tests Negative for COVID-19

Debate moderator and Fox News anchor Chris Wallace moderates the first presidential debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden at the Health Education Campus of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sept. 29, 2020. Olivier Douliery/Pool/Getty Images

Fox News anchor Chris Wallace, who moderated last week’s presidential debate, has tested negative for COVID-19, the illness caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

Wallace tested negative on Oct. 5, according to Fox News, six days after he served as moderator in the Sept. 29 debate in Cleveland, Ohio, between Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and President Donald Trump, who last Friday announced he and the first lady had contracted the virus.

The Fox News anchor sat in relatively close proximity to Trump at the debate, during which neither Wallace nor the participants wore masks.

Biden, according to campaign officials, last tested negative for COVID-19 on Sunday, with two negative tests on Friday.

Health officials recommend waiting around 5 to 7 days from a potential exposure to get a COVID-19 test in order to prevent false positives.

Trump, after undergoing treatment at the Walter Reed medical facility in Maryland, returned to the White House on Monday after a three-day stay.

“Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump Administration, some really great drugs & knowledge. I feel better than I did 20 years ago!” Trump wrote in a tweet as he was preparing to leave the hospital.

In a video Monday night, Trump doubled down on the message that the illness, while serious, can be beaten, saying,  “Be careful,” but “don’t let it dominate you.”

“You’re going to beat it,“ he said. ”We have the best medical equipment, we have the best medicines.”

President Donald Trump takes off his mask as he arrives at the White House upon his return from Walter Reed Medical Center, where he underwent treatment for the CCP virus, in Washington on Oct. 5, 2020. Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images

A number of the president’s close associates have recently tested positive for the CCP virus, including White House aide Hope Hicks, Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien, Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, and White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany.

While the White House has not insisted on wearing facial coverings as a safety measure against the virus, it has in place a rigorous testing regimen. The president is tested regularly, as are his most senior aides, and anyone in close proximity to Trump or Vice President Mike Pence is tested prior to the day’s events, including reporters.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in its guidance, recommends social distancing, frequent hand-washing, and disinfection of touched surfaces, as well as covering the mouth and nose with a mask when in proximity to others.