WASHINGTON – With a burst of executive orders, President Joe Biden announced on Thursday that the US war on COVID-19 is under new command, promising a fearful nation progress in reducing infections and lifting the siege that has taken nearly a year. has endured.
The 10 orders signed by Biden aim to jump-start its national COVID-19 strategy to increase vaccinations and testing, lay the foundation for reopening schools and businesses, and immediately increase the use of masks – including a requirement that Americans mask for travel. One guideline calls for addressing health inequalities in minority communities severely affected by the virus.
“We didn’t get into this mess overnight, and it will take months to change this,” Biden said at the White House. The deaths in the US have risen past 400,000, and he noted that they could reach 500,000 within a month.
But then, looking straight into the TV camera, Biden stated, “Let me be clear on this point to a nation waiting for action: aid is on the way.”
The new president has vowed to take much more aggressive measures to contain the virus than his predecessor, starting with strict adherence to public health guidelines. An important difference is that under Biden, the federal government assumes full responsibility for the COVID response. And instead of delegating big tasks to states, he offers to help them with technical backup and federal money.
He faces steep hurdles, with the virus actively spreading in most states, vaccine shortages, slow progress in distribution, and political uncertainty over whether Congressional Republicans will help him get a $ 1.9 trillion economic relief and COVID response package. to get.
Adding to the challenges are virus mutations, particularly one that has shown up in South Africa, that can make vaccines slightly less effective. Dr. Anthony Fauci told reporters at the White House briefing that “we are paying a lot of attention to it.” Biden’s plan includes an expansion of the research possibilities to map the genetic structure of new variants.
On Thursday, an influential group of Republican office holders backed the president’s strategy. The US Chamber of Commerce said, “We support the new administration’s focus on removing barriers to vaccinations and reopening schools, both of which are important steps to accelerate a broad-based economic recovery for all Americans.”
Biden officials have said they were hampered during the transition by a lack of cooperation from the Trump administration. They say they do not fully understand the actions of their predecessors in vaccine distribution. And they are facing a slew of complaints from states saying they are not getting enough vaccine, even though they are being asked to vaccinate more categories of people.
Biden’s travel mask order applies to airports and airplanes, ships, intercity buses, trains and public transport. Travelers from abroad must submit a negative COVID-19 test before leaving for the US and quarantined upon arrival. Biden has already imposed masks on federal property.
Although airlines, Amtrak and other carriers now require masks, Biden’s order makes it a federal mandate, leaving little leeway for passengers tempted to argue their rights. The move was welcomed by airline unions and supported by a large industrial trade group.
It marks a sharp break with the culture of President Donald Trump’s administration, in which masks were optional, and Trump made it a point to go maskless and host large gatherings of like-minded supporters. Science has shown that masks, worn correctly, reduce the transmission of coronavirus.
Biden said his administration’s decisions about the coronavirus would be based on science, not politics.
Biden is looking to expand the availability of tests and vaccines, with a goal of 100 million injections in his first 100 days in the office. But some independent experts say his administration should aim for two or three times that number. Even with the slow rate of vaccinations, the US is already reaching 1 million shots a day.
“It’s a disappointingly low bar,” said Dr. Leana Wen, a public health expert and emergency physician.
When asked at the White House on Thursday, Biden told a reporter, “When I announced it, you all said it’s not possible. Come on, give me a break, man. “
Fauci told reporters that the US could return to “some measure of normalcy” by the fall if the vaccination campaign goes well. To achieve widespread or “herd” immunity, as many as 280 million people would need to be vaccinated.
Biden has commissioned the Federal Emergency Management Agency to set up vaccination centers, with the aim of having 100 operational within a month. He orders the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to initiate a program to make vaccines available through local pharmacies from next month, building on a plan drawn up by the Trump administration. And he’s making an effort to train more people to shoot.
Biden has a goal of having most K-8 schools reopen in its first 100 days, and he orders the Education and Health and Human Services Departments to provide clear guidelines for their safe reopening. States could also use FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund to reopen schools.
Getting schools and daycare facilities up and running eases the pressure on the U.S. economy, making it easier for parents to return to work and for restaurants to find lunchtime customers.
But government officials stressed that safely reopening schools depends on more testing.
Biden gives green light to government agencies to use the Cold War era defense production law. It allows the government to instruct private industry to produce supplies needed in times of national emergencies. In this case, it could be anything from cotton buds to masks and certain chemicals.
“We don’t have nearly enough testing capacity in this country,” said Jeff Zients, White House coordinator, coronavirus.
The Biden plan estimates that a national vaccination strategy with extensive testing will require $ 160 billion, and he wants an additional $ 170 billion to support the reopening of schools and universities.
As part of his strategy, Biden ordered the creation of a Health Equity Task Force to ensure that minorities and disadvantaged communities are not excluded from the government’s response. Blacks, Latinos and Indians have borne a heavy burden of death and disease from the virus. Surveys have shown that African-Americans are more hesitant about vaccines, an issue the government wants to address through an education campaign.
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Associated Press writers Collin Binkley and Josh Boak contributed to this report.