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On Thursday, the new president of the United States, Joe Biden, signed a series of measures with the aim of containing the coronavirus pandemic. The measures, which include for example the obligation to wear a mask on means of transport, are part of a new “national strategy” against COVID-19 developed by the Biden administration, which includes, among other things, a strong centralization of the reply. the health emergency, a move that Donald Trump had strongly opposed during his presidency.
Referring to the new plan, Biden spoke of a “wartime” commitment, adding: “For the past year, we have not been able to count on the federal government to act with urgency, attention and the coordination that we would need, and everyone saw the tragic cost of that failure. ” Even today, the epidemiological situation in several areas of the United States remains dire; Biden said that next month 500,000 deaths from COVID-19 will be reached across the country.
The measures already taken by the new administration to contain the epidemic are quite varied, and were accompanied by the launch of a 200-page document that explains the new strategy against the coronavirus.
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The government has imposed on all Americans the use of the mask in the means of transport (planes, trains, long-distance buses and public transport) and a period of quarantine for those arriving from abroad, mainly with the aim of containing the variants Widespread coronavirus identified, for example, in South Africa and Brazil. The new strategy mainly contemplates the centralized response of the federal government that Trump had wanted to avoid at all costs, leaving the management of the emergency mainly to individual governors.
The plan gives federal agencies the ability to apply the Defense Production Act, a law dating back to the war in Korea, to strengthen the distribution of vaccines and the production of medical devices, such as face masks (Trump had already appealed to the law). . It also provides for the creation of an agency to expand the capacity to test the population for coronavirus, as well as the adoption of new guidelines to protect the health of workers and ensure the safe reopening of schools and businesses. Biden also announced that the federal government will reimburse state governments for the costs of using the National Guard to accelerate the vaccination campaign.
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According to New York Times, with the adoption of the new national coronavirus strategy, Biden wanted to send a clear message: that is, that his approach to the epidemic will be much more direct and decisive than that used by his predecessor, accused of being too bland.
Biden included some priorities in the 200-page document released Thursday, including two details the Trump administration had deviated from: promoting equity “along the racial, ethnic, and rural / urban lines” that characterize states. United, and reintroduce regular scientific reports by pandemic experts, restoring the confidence of the American population in the government’s ability to deal with the emergency.
At this second point, the government has already begun to actively participate. On Thursday, for example, Anthony Fauci, the president’s top adviser on coronavirus, made his first appearance in the White House press room since last November, after being progressively sidelined by Trump. On Thursday Fauci spoke of a “liberating sentiment” to be able to tell scientific truths about the coronavirus without fear of “repercussions” from Trump.
There is not a single opinion on the plan against the epidemic presented by Biden: some have considered it too optimistic, others too little ambitious. However, Biden has made a number of promises that will need to be fulfilled in the first 100 days of his presidency, including administering 100 million doses of the vaccine and opening 100 federally supported vaccination centers.
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