175 doctors tell commission Biden-Trump debate in Miami can be held safely

Hundreds of physicians have written to the Commission on Presidential Debates saying they believe it’s safe for President Trump to participate in Thursday’s debate with Joe Biden in Miami, The Post has learned.

The debate’s organizing body on Thursday announced the show-down would be made virtual for safety reasons after the president contracted COVID-19 — a move that angered the commander in chief who in turn announced he would boycott the event.

Now, as many as 175 medical doctors from across the nation have written to the commission saying an in-person debate would be safe as long as social distancing guidelines were followed by both Trump and Biden.

“I am a family medicine physician who has treated many COVID patients, both in hospital and in the outpatient setting. I am requesting that the Commission reverse its decision and hold an in-person debate,” wrote Dr. Joseph T. Dougherty, of Pittsburgh, in one letter obtained by The Post.

“Based on science, data, and epidemiology, the debate can, and should, be held safely in person and it is essential to do so,” he added.

Many of the doctors cited guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which states that a person infected with COVID-19 can safely be around other people 10 days after their symptoms first appeared.

The debate, slated for Oct. 15, would take place 13 days after the president announced he and the first lady had tested positive for the virus.