President Biden said Wednesday his forthcoming plan to fight the COVID-19 this winter will not include the type of economic restrictions that marked the early response to the pandemic.
He said the plan, which he will outline on Thursday, will rely instead on pharmaceutical defenses and diagnostics.
“Tomorrow I’ll be putting forward the next steps we’ll be taking to fight COVID this winter, not with shutdowns or lockdowns but with more widespread vaccinations, boosters, testing and more,” Mr. Biden said.
The president’s comment follows a similar one from his COVID-19 coordinator, Jeff Zients, who last month said the U.S. wasn’t interested in shutting down again even as European nations were re-imposing closures and curfews in the face of at times fierce public backlash.
Mr. Zients’ comments came before the alarming omicron variant burst into view. But Mr. Biden said the administration is sticking to a strategy that relies on vaccines, treatments, masks and testing in lieu of lockdowns.
“We’re learning more every single day and we’ll fight this variant with science and speed, not chaos and confusion,” Mr. Biden said. “Now is the time to get vaccinated and take your children to get vaccinated.”
For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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