Capitol Officials Say Barrett Hearing Room Meets COVID-19 Safety Protocols

By Brian Naylor

Published October 12, 2020 at 6:23 AM PDT

The desk for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett is set up before she appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The Senate hearing room where the Judiciary Committee is holding up to four days of hearings on Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court nomination has been set up to comply with COVID-19 safety protocols.

The Architect of the Capitol, which oversees the physical plant of the Capitol complex, says the seating arrangements in the Hart office building hearing room, as well as on the dais, where senators sit, were laid out in conjunction with the Office of Attending Physician. In addition, the ventilation in the large room "meets or exceeds industry standards."

Those attending the hearing in person, including senators and members of the press, are being asked to fill out a questionnaire about their health and are asked to stay at home if they feel or have had any symptoms of COVID-19 in the past 10 days.

However, the questionnaire is voluntary. One member of the panel, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, reported testing positive for the coronavirus on Oct. 2 and is at the hearing.