President Biden has addressed the ongoing Omicron emergency by assuring skittish Americans that despite damning reports, the US is not on the brink of reliving the early days of 2020.
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With COVID once again sweeping the nation — doubling or even tripling cases within just a matter of days — President Joe Biden spoke directly to the country on Tuesday from The White House and discussed how his administration intends to tackle the current Omicron emergency.
“I know you’re tired, really, and I know you’re frustrated,” the president said while flanked by Vice-President Kamala Harris and Dr. Anthony Fauci. “We all want this to be over, but we’re still in it.”
Mr. Biden then acknowledged the political divide within the country and deep opposition to vaccine requirements among a segment of society. However, he reassured those concerned that his administration has only put certain mandates in place “not to control your life, but to save your life and the lives of others.”
He then pleaded with unvaccinated Americans to get the inoculation in order to protect themselves, their loved, ones, and everyone around them from infection.
“I honest to God believe it’s your patriotic duty,” Mr. Biden said.
For those who fear the Omicron emergency might upend their Christmas and New Year’s Eve plans, President Biden confirmed that vaccinated Americans should feel comfortable celebrating among family and friends for the upcoming holidays. He also promised that his administration intends to distribute 500 million at-home COVID tests to all Americans, although those tests won’t be deployed for weeks and will therefore be unhelpful in the short term.
Additionally, Mr. Biden said he will not mandate testing or vaccination for travelers on domestic flights — and flat out refused to return to restrictions from 2020 that some European countries have already reinstated in the interest of safety.
“That’s what I keep getting asked,” Mr. Biden said. “The answer is absolutely no. No!”
“Keeping the economy and schools open is a high priority,” he added.
According to President Biden, military troops will begin arriving in Wisconsin and Indiana this week to aid health care workers at hospitals. New testing sites will open in New York City within days to ease 4-hour long wait times and mile-long testing sites. He also promised to use the Defense Production Act to help manufacturers better meet the demand for testing.
CNN: President Joe Biden aimed to reassure vaccinated Americans that they can still proceed with their holiday plans without fear of becoming seriously ill, announcing a number of new efforts to combat a surge of Covid-19 cases in the United States. “I know some Americans are wondering if you can safely celebrate the holidays with your family and friends. The answer is, yes you can if you and those you celebrate with are vaccinated, particularly if you’ve gotten your booster shot,” Biden said in a White House speech Tuesday. The speech, which came just days before Christmas, reflects Biden’s renewed focus on the coronavirus pandemic as anxiety rises around the country at the steep spike in cases and concerns about whether new restrictive measures will be needed to limit the spread. Biden emphasized repeatedly throughout the speech that the current moment is different than March 2020, when the coronavirus solidified… Read more »