Joe Biden embarks on a new crusade against the coronavirus, now facing the Omicron variant

The president of United States, Joe Bidenannounced a winter campaign against Covid-19, with new testing requirements for travelers and increased vaccination efforts.

Biden has provided strong leadership on the pandemic after the chaotic years of Donald TrumpBut the mutant coronavirus continues to challenge him, helping to sink his approval ratings.

Urging the nation – in particular its political rivals – to rally behind the strategy, Biden unveiled a series of actions designed to curb the spread of Covid-19 in the coming months, while the most recent variant, Ómicron, was released. spread throughout the world.

Two cases have been announced in the United States so far, the second of them in a Minnesota man with no history of recent international travel, indicating that the strain is already circulating within the country.

“It’s a plan that I think should bring us together,” Biden said, speaking from the headquarters of the National Institutes of Health, on the outskirts of Washington.

“I know that Covid-19 has been very divisive. In this country, it has become a political issue (…), which is a sad observation. It shouldn’t be, but it has been,” he added.

The measures include a requirement that all incoming international travelers undergo a coronavirus test one day before flying.

This will apply to all travelers, both US and foreign, regardless of their vaccination status.

For domestic travelers, Biden will announce the extension of the requirement to wear masks on airplanes, trains and other forms of public transportation until mid-March.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters that testing and vaccination requirements could eventually be added to domestic flights as well.

“Nothing is off the table,” he said.

The barrage of measures is intended, in part, to assure Americans that Biden is doing everything he can to prevent the pandemic from derailing America’s impressive economic recovery and the end-of-the-year holidays.

Biden and his advisers have repeatedly stressed in recent days that there will be no further mass shutdowns.

But the White House also faces the challenge that many Americans are not receptive to Biden’s calls for collective action.

Despite increasingly creative attempts to encourage people to get vaccinated, about 40% of the country is not yet fully vaccinated. Around 110 million people eligible for booster vaccines have yet to seize the opportunity.

National campaign

Officials said a surge in the promotion of vaccines and their boosters will be launched, with a national campaign targeting beneficiaries of public health care called Medicare.

On the other hand, the Biden administration will try to ensure that schools do not return to mass closures.

“We are expanding our efforts to vaccinate children, starting at the age of five,” he said. And to parents concerned about the Omicron and delta variants, he asked: “Get your children vaccinated at one of the 35,000 centers in the country.”

In another reinforcement of existing policies, the White House will encourage the use of home test kits by announcing that health insurance will cover 100% of their cost. For those without health insurance, there will be an increase in the availability of free kits.

Currently, the kits sell for about $ 25, while in other European countries they are available for free or at low cost.

Meanwhile, the White House stressed that the restrictions imposed by the administration on travelers from eight southern African countries due to the growing fear of the Omicron variant were not a “punishment” for those nations, but a security measure.

“We are in diplomatic contact with the leaders of these countries about the measures we have taken,” said Psaki, referring to the ban imposed last week on passenger arrivals from Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Malawi and South Africa.

“This is not intended to be a punishment, they are measures recommended by our public health officials and medical experts,” he said during his routine press conference. “Nobody wants this to be permanent.”



Reference-www.eleconomista.com.mx

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