Covid-19 pandemic: Biden publishes plan to improve vaccine distribution, expand testing and reopen schools



[ad_1]

The day after his swearing-in, Biden plans to sign at least 10 executive orders, memoranda and guidelines focused on tackling the pandemic, which on Thursday morning claimed the lives of more than 400,000 Americans and infected more than 24 million in the US. And he’s ready to pitch some of his initiatives to the public at 2 p.m. ET, and his publicist and Dr.Anthony Fauci will answer questions at 4 p.m. ET.

Biden will sign an order to increase supplies for vaccination, testing and personal protective equipment and another exciting development of therapeutic products to treat Covid-19.

Following his campaign proposals, Biden will sign two executive orders creating a National Pandemic Testing Council to improve U.S. coronavirus testing capacity and a Covid-19 health equity task force to ensure response and recovery “fair” to the pandemic.

Another decree will improve the collection, production, sharing and analysis of data on the virus by the country.

He will order the Federal Emergency Management Agency to offer full reimbursement to states for the cost of National Guard personnel and emergency supplies such as PPE for schools.

Biden to lead the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services to provide advice for the reopening and safe operation of schools, child care providers and institutions of higher education .

It will issue an executive order calling on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue clear guidance on Covid-19, decide to establish temporary emergency standards, and order OSHA to enforce the requirements in terms of worker health and safety.

Building on the order he signed on Wednesday making masks mandatory on federal property, Biden will also take action to require face masks at airports and on certain modes of transportation, including many trains, planes, maritime ships and intercity buses. Thursday’s executive order will also require international travelers to provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test before traveling to the United States.

Biden also plans to issue a presidential directive to restore U.S. leadership, support the international pandemic response effort, promote resilience in the face of future threats, and advance global health security and the global health security agenda.

New White House Covid Coordinator Jeff Zients told reporters on Wednesday that Biden’s pandemic strategy would be “a fundamentally different approach from that of the Trump administration” and that it “would be based on science , data and public health “- not politics.

CNN reported Thursday that Biden and his advisers are inheriting a non-existent coronavirus vaccine distribution plan from the Trump administration, with sources telling CNN they will essentially have to “build everything from scratch.”

“For nearly a year now, Americans could not look to the federal government for a strategy, let alone a comprehensive approach to responding to COVID. And we have seen the tragic costs of this failure. As President Biden takes office today, that will change tomorrow, ”Zients said Wednesday.

After his swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday, Biden’s first action as president was to impose a mask mandate on federal property. Biden has also installed a coronavirus response coordinator to oversee the White House’s efforts to distribute vaccines and medical supplies. He also signed an executive order ending the United States’ withdrawal from the World Health Organization.

[ad_2]

Source link