On his first full day in office — President Biden made it clear that one of his distinct missions is to beat back the Coronavirus as best America can do at this point. According to NBC News, Biden signed a series of executive orders that mandate mask use; increase funding for states to get better at vaccinating their populations, and hopes that the orders will help pave the way for safe re-openings.
All international travelers must now have a negative test before entering the United States.
“We didn’t get into this mess overnight and it is going to take months to get it turned around,” he said. “But let me be equally clear, we will get through this, we will defeat this pandemic.”
The U.S eclipsed 400k COVID related deaths just before Trump left office. As as a result, the Biden Administration is cautioning that such a number likely will increase within a month’s time due to the extent in which new efforts are needed.
The change in tone on the virus has been welcomed by much of America. Some have long argued that stricter mask mandates have been needed while others have not. But multiple studies have shown that mask mandates do somewhat work if they’re actually followed.
Particularly the mask order is likely the most significant considering it mandates masks on everything from airplanes to public transportation as of today. Airline travel has been a point of contention for some because as many have witnessed already — not everybody wears their masks correctly under the guise of medical conditions.