US Vice President Mike Pence (front) attends a press conference on the coronavirus at the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, on March 2, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

 
US Vice President Mike Pence and 2020 Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris both tested negative for COVID-19 on Wednesday ahead of their debate in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Pence and his wife, Karen Pence, tested negative, according to a White House official.

The second couple have been tested daily and all results were negative since US President Donald Trump disclosed last week that he and first lady Melania Trump had contracted the highly contagious virus.

Harris, also a US senator from California, also received a negative test result on Wednesday, the campaign said.

The results cleared the way for the only face-off between Pence and Harris, which has come under greater scrutiny as the White House grapples with a COVID-19 outbreak.

File photo taken on June 27, 2019 shows Senator Kamala Harris of California being interviewed after the second night of the first Democratic primary debate in Miami, Florida, the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

 
In addition to the Trumps, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and four of her deputies have also tested positive, as have senior and close aides to the president Hope Hicks and Stephen Miller.

Miller's wife, Pence's communications director Katie Miller, caught the virus in May and has since recovered. She traveled with Pence to Salt Lake City but cut short her stay out of an abundance of caution after her husband's diagnosis.

On the debate stage, Harris and Pence will be separated by more than 12 feet of distance, with two plexiglass barriers between them.

The matchup will be moderated by Susan Page, Washington Bureau Chief, USA Today.