Pres. Joe Biden outlined 5 steps to combat a potential rise in illness from the new Omicron variant this winter along with tighter international travel restrictions. His strategy avoids lockdowns, hoping to continue the progress that has been made in the almost 2-year-old pandemic. The plan is simple, without any additional changes to current guidance except on travel and a stronger push for mask-wearing.
Per the plan, all in-bound international travelers must test within one day of departure regardless of their status before entering the UNites States. This ban will las thoruhg the winter months he said.
One part of the plan is to make regular testing easier. To do this he is asking insurers to foot the bill for at-home tests.
The plan, althoguh straight foward, has been called ambitious since the ination have been divided on the recommendations from the government concerning COVID from the start, noted in the president quoting current case counts.
Below is a summary of the plans. More extensive details are available at the White House web site here.
BIDEN'S 5-STEP PATH OUT OF THE PANDEMIC
1. More outreach on the nationwhide booster campaign
2. Family vaccination clinic sna d policeis to keep children in school
3. Free at home tests that will be covered by insurance a sites for the uninsured
4. Increase in medical staff in communitoes that need it and over-birdend hospitals
5. Vaccinate the rest of the world.