- Nov 2, 2017
- 16,279
- 9,333
Looks like Biden going for a nuanced approach, rather than a 'one size fits all' solution:
President-elect Joe Biden pressed the urgent need for economic relief and a vaccine distribution plan for states and tribes after a video meeting Thursday with bipartisan leaders of the National Governors Association.
But Biden in a press conference in Wilmington, Del., also vowed there will be “no national shutdown” despite a surge in COVID-19 cases in multiple states in recent weeks. Biden argued that a wide shutdown would be counterproductive because the prevalence of the virus, which has killed more than a quarter million Americans, differs state to state.
“It’s not shutting down everything, it’s calibrating based on what the threat is,” he said.
It was a definitive statement from Biden, who will be under intense pressure to swiftly deal with COVID-19 as soon as he takes office on Jan. 20. Earlier, a member of his coronavirus task force, Dr. Michael Osterholm of the University of Minnesota, stirred controversy by suggesting a four-to-six-week lockdown with aid for Americans whose jobs would be hit, though the Iowa native later said the idea had not been discussed with anyone and would lack public support.
Governors from 10 states including Democrats Jared Polis of Colorado and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Republican Larry Hogan of Maryland met with Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris for the first time since they won the November election. The governors are members of the executive committee of the NGA. Members of the Biden coronavirus task force also attended.
Biden promises ‘no national shutdown’ despite surge in COVID-19 • Iowa Capital Dispatch
President-elect Joe Biden vowed there will be “no national shutdown” despite a surge in COVID-19 cases in multiple states.
iowacapitaldispatch.com
President-elect Joe Biden pressed the urgent need for economic relief and a vaccine distribution plan for states and tribes after a video meeting Thursday with bipartisan leaders of the National Governors Association.
But Biden in a press conference in Wilmington, Del., also vowed there will be “no national shutdown” despite a surge in COVID-19 cases in multiple states in recent weeks. Biden argued that a wide shutdown would be counterproductive because the prevalence of the virus, which has killed more than a quarter million Americans, differs state to state.
“It’s not shutting down everything, it’s calibrating based on what the threat is,” he said.
It was a definitive statement from Biden, who will be under intense pressure to swiftly deal with COVID-19 as soon as he takes office on Jan. 20. Earlier, a member of his coronavirus task force, Dr. Michael Osterholm of the University of Minnesota, stirred controversy by suggesting a four-to-six-week lockdown with aid for Americans whose jobs would be hit, though the Iowa native later said the idea had not been discussed with anyone and would lack public support.
Governors from 10 states including Democrats Jared Polis of Colorado and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Republican Larry Hogan of Maryland met with Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris for the first time since they won the November election. The governors are members of the executive committee of the NGA. Members of the Biden coronavirus task force also attended.