Joe Biden shares how he's keeping in touch with grandkids during quarantine
Joe Biden hasn't let the coronavirus quarantine stop him from regularly seeing his grandchildren, but not without some precautions.
The former vice president and current Democratic presidential hopeful spoke with late-night host Jimmy Kimmel on Thursday about how he stays in contact with family while observing social distancing.
"Every day I'm in contact with every one of my grandkids, my son and my daughter, but by distance,'' he said.
Biden particularly stays in contact with the two children of his late son Beau, who died from brain cancer in 2015.
"As a matter of fact, my son Beau's children live a mile away as the crow flies,'' he said. "They walk over through the woods and through a neighborhood, and they sit out in the backyard in two chairs, and I sit up in the porch, and we have our conversations, because I'm not allowed to go hug them. I miss it."
That separation is particularly important because Biden, 77, is in the over-60 demographic that is at a higher risk for complications from coronavirus, according to health officials.
Biden is like many people across the country who have used some sort of barrier while still sharing important moments with family.
A grandfather met his newborn grandson through a window in Ireland, a New York City couple got married on the street as a friend officiated from his fourth-floor apartment window, a man celebrated his 67th anniversary through a window with his quarantined wife, and a granddaughter showed off her new engagement ring to her grandfather through the window of his nursing home.
The spread of COVID-19 has also meant that Biden has had to halt his campaign stops with states limiting large gatherings.
However, he hasn't had much down time to spend with the grandkids. Although he's not out on the campaign trail, Biden is still maintaining a busy schedule. He told Kimmel he has a 90-minute morning briefing every day with his healthcare team, which includes former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy as well as former Food and Drug Administration commissioner Dr. David Kessler.
He follows that with another hour-long teleconference with the economic experts on his staff before reaching out to various government officials across the country.
"I spend a lot of time talking to governors and mayors and members of Congress about what's going on, and so on, for anyway I could be helpful,'' he said.
