Biden unveils ‘wartime’ COVID plan
WASHINGTON (AFP) – US President Joe Biden on Thursday tightened mask wearing rules and ordered quarantine for people flying into the United States, as he got to work on tackling the coronavirus pandemic on his first full day in power.
Signing 10 executive orders in the White House, Biden told the nation that the COVID-19 death toll would likely rise from 400,000 to half a million next month – and that drastic action was needed.
“We’re in a national emergency. It’s time we treated it like one,” he said, adding that he wants to restore public trust in the wake of the divisive Donald Trump era.
Trump often sought to play down the severity of the virus, which has infected more than 24 million in the United States, the highest numbers anywhere in the world. Millions of Americans have been thrown out of work due to lockdowns.
Scientists, Biden said, will “work free from political interference” under his administration, and he pledged: “We will level with you when we make a mistake.”
In addition to needing a negative COVID test result before flying, travelers to the US will now need to quarantine upon arrival, Biden said. This toughened existing regulations under Trump.
He said the rollout of the vaccine had been a “dismal failure so far.”
“Things are going to continue to get worse before they get better,” Biden said.
Wearing masks “has become a partisan issue, unfortunately, but it’s a patriotic act,” Biden said, in a marked contrast to Trump, who for months gave mixed messages about whether or not to encourage the practice.
“What we’re inheriting is so much worse than we could have imagined,” Jeff Zients, the new White House COVID-19 response coordinator, told reporters.
Biden has announced a goal of 100 million vaccines administered in 100 days, with his top experts saying it remains possible. So far, only 16.5 million doses have been injected.
When asked Thursday if he had been ambitious enough, Biden shot back: “When I announced it, you all said it’s not possible. Come on, give me a break, man.”
Biden said the administration was expanding places where Americans will be able to get their doses, with new community centers and extra medical staff to administer the vaccine.
The administration will expand vaccine manufacturing and its power to purchase more vaccines by “fully leveraging contract authorities, including the Defense Production Act,” according to the plan.
The Trump administration had invoked the law, which grants the president broad authority to “expedite and expand the supply of resources from the US industrial base” for protective gear, but never enacted it for testing or vaccine production.