Coronavirus: Democrats Biden and Sanders cancel campaign rallies

The two Democratic Party candidates for the White House, Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden , canceled their scheduled rallies for the night of Tuesday, 10, in the state of Ohio due to the spread of the epidemic of the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2 ) in the United States . Amid growing fears in the country, where there are more than 470 confirmed cases, the suspension of events just a week before the caption previews in that state was an unprecedented feat in the election campaign.

"Due to public health and safety concerns, we will cancel tonight's meeting in Cleveland," said Sanders communications director Mike Casca. "We respect the warnings from Ohio state officials, who expressed their concern about organizing large events in closed spaces during the coronavirus epidemic," he added.

Biden's campaign communications director, Kate Bedingfield, tweeted that the former vice president's election team "will continue to consult public health officials and announce about [the situation of] future events." His event would also be in Cleveland.

According to The New York Times , there are three patients infected with the new coronavirus in the state of Ohio. Across the country, according to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) this Tuesday, there are 472 cases and 19 deaths

Ohio, which holds its primaries on March 17, is considered one of the fifteen most representative states of the Democratic electorate across the country in terms of ethnicity and education, according to the statistical analysis portal Five Thirty Eight. With 11.6 million inhabitants - equivalent to the population of Rio Grande do Sul -, it is the seventh most populous state in the United States and voted in favor of Republican Donald Trump in the 2016 elections

Mini 'Super Tuesday'

Seven days before the election in Ohio, on Tuesday, six states with more than 8% of the Democratic electorate hold their primaries. The day is baptized by the American press as “Mini-Tuesday”, in reference to the “Super-Tuesday”, which took place on March 3 and in which about 34% of the national Democratic electorate was in dispute.

This Tuesday's polls begin to close at 8 pm on the American east coast