Coronavirus restrictions could return if people become complacent with mitigation measures, President Biden warned during his first prime-time address one year after COVID-19 shut down the country.
“If we don’t stay vigilant and the conditions change, then we may have to reinstate restrictions to get back on track. Please, we don’t want to do that again,” Biden said Thursday from the White House’s East Room.
CALLS FOR UNITY IN BIDEN’S JOINT ADDRESS COULD BRING BOOS FROM REPUBLICANS
Biden’s words of caution are another example of his administration’s balancing act between offering a glimmer of hope that the pandemic is coming to an end while also ensuring people do not disregard masks, social distancing, and hand-washing. His Centers of Disease Control and Prevention has been criticized for issuing timid guidance, even for those who have been fully vaccinated.
During his 20-minute speech, Biden announced he would direct states, tribes, and territories to make all adults eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine by May 1, with the necessary stockpile of shots expected to be available by the end of that month. His administration is on track to provide 100 million shots by his 60th day in office, ahead of his initial target of 100 million jabs by his 100th day, he added.
Biden pressed the importance of getting a vaccination, promising that “if we do this together … there’s a good chance” it would be possible to celebrate Independence Day in “a small group.”
“That doesn’t mean large events, with lots of people together,” he clarified.
“After this long, hard year, that will make this Independence Day something truly special: Where we not only mark our independence as a nation, where we begin to mark our independence from this virus,” the president said.
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Earlier Thursday, Biden signed his landmark $1.9 trillion COVID-19 spending package into law. He and other top administration officials are expected to spend the next couple of weeks touting the legislation before he delivers his first address to a joint session of Congress.
