The top two news stories from the previous weeks finally come together as CNN plans to nix the audience for its upcoming Democratic debate. While the Democratic field of candidates winnowed down to 2 remaining candidates, the novel coronavirus expanded beyond quarantines to enter American public life.

Health officials announced the first diagnosed case of community spread in the United States towards the end of February. At that time, a mere 60 cases existed within the US. Since then, and likely since January, the coronavirus spread throughout the country. Because of a delay in testing, health officials with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention failed to catch the early spread.

Now, as testing ramps up, more and more cases reveal the extent of the outbreak. Presently, there are over 1,000 documented cases of COVID-19 and 31 deaths in the US. Worldwide, those figures rise to over 122,000 and 4,390 respectively.

As a result, many planned large gatherings canceled their engagements, from festivals to conferences.

Rally Cancellations Presage Democratic Debate Change

Both candidates chose to cancel their Cleveland rallies following the contests on Tuesday night. Following suit, CNN announced the cancellation of an audience during the March 15 Democratic debate between Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden.

In a statement addressing the change, CNN said, “At the request of the campaigns and out of an abundance of caution, we have made the decision to eliminate the debate live audience, the press filing center and spin room in Phoenix.”

Arizona only just announced its sixth case of COVID-19 on Monday. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t more cases within the state. So far, only 84 tests have been conducted, out of which the 6 cases were caught.

So, in an effort to stem the outbreak, the two candidates appear on-stage before an empty Arizona Federal Theatre this Sunday. Two days later, Arizona holds its primary vote. Whether the coronavirus suppresses turnout remains uncertain.