WASHINGTON – With an explosion of executive orders, President Joe Biden warned Thursday that the U.S. war against COVID-19 is under new command, promising eager progress to reduce infections and lift the siege it has endured for nearly one year.
The ten orders signed by Biden aim to launch its national COVID-19 strategy to increase vaccinations and testing, lay the groundwork for the reopening of schools and businesses, and immediately increase the use of masks, including the requirement that Americans masked for travel. A directive calls for addressing health inequalities in minority communities hard hit by the virus.
“We didn’t get into this mess overnight and it will take months to turn it around,” Biden told the White House. U.S. deaths have risen more than 400,000, and he pointed to projections that could reach 500,000 in a month.
But then, looking straight at the television camera, Biden declared, “To a nation waiting for action, make it clear to me on this point: aid is on its way.”
The new president has promised to take much more aggressive measures to contain the virus than his predecessor, starting with strict adherence to public health guidelines. A key difference is that, under Biden, the federal government assumes full responsibility for COVID’s response. And instead of delegating important tasks to states, he offers to help them with technical backup and federal money.
He faces strong hurdles, with the active spread of the virus in most states, a shortage of vaccines, slow progress in distribution, and political uncertainty over whether Republicans in Congress will help him pass an economic aid of 1, $ 9 trillion and a response package to COVID.
Added to the challenges are virus mutations, especially one that has emerged in South Africa, that can make vaccines a little less effective. Dr. Anthony Fauci told reporters at the White House conference that “we are paying close attention to it.” Biden’s plan includes an expansion of research capabilities to trace the genetic structure of new variants.
On Thursday, an influential group with Republican officials backed the president’s strategy. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said: “We support the new administration to focus on removing vaccine barriers and reopening schools, which are two important steps in accelerating a grassroots economic recovery by to all Americans “
Biden officials have said they have been hampered by the Trump administration’s lack of cooperation during the transition. They say they do not have a complete understanding of their predecessors ’actions on vaccine distribution. And they face a litany of complaints from states saying they are not getting enough vaccine even though they are being asked to vaccinate more categories of people.
The Biden mask order for travel applies to airports and airplanes, ships, intercity buses, trains, and public transportation. Travelers from abroad must present a negative COVID-19 test before leaving for the United States and must be quarantined on arrival. Biden has already asked for masks from federal properties.
Although airlines, Amtrak and other transportation providers now require masks, Biden’s order makes it a federal mandate, leaving little room for tempted passengers to argue about their rights. The action was applauded by the airline unions and with the support of a major industry trade group.
It marks a sharp break with the culture of President Donald Trump’s administration, under which masks were optional, and Trump tried to go without masks and organize large gatherings of like-minded supporters. Science has shown that masks, used properly, reduce the transmission of coronavirus.
Biden said the coronavirus decisions of his administration would be based on science, not politics.
Biden is looking to expand testing and vaccine availability, with the goal of 100 million shots in his first 100 days in office. But some independent experts say his administration should strive for two or three times that figure. Even with the slow pace of vaccinations, the United States is already shutting down a million shots a day.
“It’s a disappointing low bar,” said Dr. Leana Wen, a public health expert and emergency physician.
Asked about this at the White House on Thursday, Biden told a reporter, “When I announced it, you all said it wasn’t possible. Come on, take a break, man. “
Fauci told reporters that the United States could return to “a certain degree of normalcy” in the fall if the vaccination campaign goes well. Up to 280 million people would need to be vaccinated to achieve widespread or “herd” immunity.
Biden has instructed the Federal Emergency Management Agency to start setting up vaccination centers, with the aim of having 100 in operation in a month. It orders the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to begin a program to make vaccines available through local pharmacies starting next month, based on a plan devised by the Trump administration. And it’s launching an effort to train more people to manage shots.
Biden has set a goal of reopening most K-8 schools in its first 100 days and is ordering the departments of Education and Health and Human Services to provide clear guidelines for reopening them. safely. States could also take advantage of the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund to help open schools.
Starting schools and caring for children will help ease the American economy, making it easier for parents to return to their jobs and restaurants to find customers at lunchtime.
But administration officials stressed that the reopening of schools safely depends on increased testing.
Biden gives the green light to government agencies to use the Cold War-era defense production law. It allows the government to direct private industry to produce the necessary supplies in times of national emergency. In this case, it can be from sticks, to masks, to certain chemicals.
“We don’t have nearly enough testing capacity in this country,” said Jeff Zients, the White House coronavirus coordinator.
The Biden plan estimates that a national vaccination strategy with expanded testing requires $ 160 billion and wants an additional $ 170 billion to help reopen schools and universities.
As part of its strategy, Biden ordered the establishment of a working group on health equity to ensure that minority and underserved communities are not left out of the government’s response. Blacks, Latinos, and Native Americans have taken on a heavy burden of death and disease due to the virus. Surveys have shown that vaccine vacillation is greatest among African Americans, a problem the administration plans to address through an educational campaign.
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Associated Press writers Collin Binkley and Josh Boak contributed to this report.