President Biden released a national Covid-19 strategy on his second day in office and signed 10 executive orders and other guidelines as part of the plan. Here are details of what’s in the plan and specific changes people can expect in the coming weeks and months:
- Increased inventories such as masks, coats, gloves, Covid-19 rapid test kits, testing supplies and vaccine materials through federal agency actions, including passing the Defense Production Act.
- States and schools will receive more funding. Compensation for National Guard personnel and supplies costs will increase from 75% to 100%, and a federal disaster relief fund will be tapped to cover eligible school reopening costs.
- A federal testing board will be established to expand testing, boost test production in the US, support screening for schools, and ensure equality in testing for communities of color.
- Travelers will have to wear masks at airports and in certain forms of public transport, such as trains, ships, intercity buses and airplanes. International travelers will be required to show a negative Covid-19 test before departing for the US and adhere to self-isolation and quarantine guidelines upon arrival.
- A federal preclinical drug discovery and development program will focus on developing and evaluating treatments for pandemic threats, and will support access to treatments for people without health insurance.
- Publicly available dashboards with information on Covid-19 cases, tests, vaccinations and hospitalizations will be made available on a national and national basis.
- Covid response liaisons will be set up for each state as the administration supports the launch of 100 federally backed community vaccination centers and the availability of vaccines in pharmacies in the coming month.
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will publish employer guidelines to protect workers from exposure and will investigate the setting of temporary emergency standards.
- A federal task force will be established to make recommendations to Mr. Biden on allocating resources and funding to communities with inequalities in virus outcomes based on race, ethnicity, geography, disability and other considerations.
- A presidential directive aims to support the international response to pandemics.
Write to Stephanie Armor at [email protected]