The administration of US President Joe Biden announced on Monday that COVID-19 emergency declarations will be lifted on May 11—nearly three years after the US enacted stringent pandemic controls to stop the disease’s spread.
2020 saw the implementation of the COVID-19 national emergency and public health emergency (PHE) by then-President Donald Trump. The policies, which give millions of Americans access to free tests, immunisations, and treatments, have been regularly expanded by Biden.
The declarations, which were due to expire in the upcoming months, would be renewed until May 11 and then cancelled, according to a statement from the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
An administration policy statement from OMB says, ‘This wind-down would be consistent with the Administration’s prior commitments to give at least 60 days’ notice prior to terminating the PHE.’
In accordance with the PHE declaration, the government has begun covering the cost of COVID-19 vaccines, some exams, and specific treatments. Those expenses will be passed to commercial insurance and public health programmes after it expires.
According to OMB, the expiration of PHE will also put an end to Title 42 orders that send migrants from Nicaragua, Cuba, and Haiti who are captured trying to cross the US-Mexico border back to Mexico.
Biden would veto a proposed bill in the US Congress that would lift the COVID-19 vaccine requirements for medical professionals working on specific federal programmes, says a separate statement from OMB.
Although there are fewer COVID- 19 cases in the country, the disease still claims the lives of more than 500 people per day, says government statistics.
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