Biden to End COVID Emergency in May

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Facts

• US Pres. Biden on Monday announced to Congress that his admin. will end the national and public COVID health emergencies on May 11, as most of the world has moved to or towards normalcy almost three years after the pandemic was declared.
• Biden's announcement comes amidst resolutions put forward by House Republicans to bring the emergencies to an immediate end and launch investigations into the federal government’s response to the virus. In contrast, the Office of Management and Budget has said an 'abrupt end' would cause 'wide-ranging chaos' within the healthcare system.
• As of right now, the COVID national emergency is set to expire on March 1 while the public health emergency will expire on April 11, but once Biden extends them they will both end on May 11.
• Many of the individual benefits created by the emergencies will also expire on May 11, with Medicare beneficiaries having to pay out-of-pocket for at-home testing and all treatment, though vaccines will continue to be covered at no cost.
• The Biden admin. also said that the end of the public health emergency will result in the cessation of Title 42, the Trump-era immigration policy that allows law enforcement to send migrants back across the border.
• In recent months, case counts have trended lower after a slight rise over the winter holidays and are significantly below levels seen over the last two winters. However, the number of COVID tests being taken and reported to public health officials has also decreased significantly.

Sources: Guardian, Al Jazeera, FOX News, CNN, New York Post and Time.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by New York Times. Though it was not always clear what the right answer was at the time, the US has managed to persevere through the pandemic, and the decision to officially end these emergencies will soon become necessary. COVID has not disappeared by any means, which is why Biden is giving healthcare facilities months to prepare.
• Republican narrative, as provided by Daily Wire. Though it is much appreciated that the government will finally declare the pandemic over, this move should have been made far earlier as opposed to waiting another third of a year. The Biden admin. is still unable to get a clear message out about COVID — having previously said it's over before backtracking. Biden's move to end Title 42 will likely exacerbate the southern border crises even more. The administration's COVID policies have been dysfunctional and harmful.