Biden Puts Foot Down on Virus Response, Signs Mask-Travel Order

As the nation continues to crawl its way through the COVID-19 pandemic, progress has been hard to come by.

The first wave of the virus, which tore across the United States back in the spring, was relatively mild in comparison to the beast we are looking to slay now.  Every day we’re seeing thousands of deaths here in the United States, and experts predict that we may not yet have peaked.

Joe Biden, on his second day in office, made some stern and harrowing remarks about the pandemic, and issued a number of new directives aimed at getting the crisis under control. 

With a burst of executive orders, President Joe Biden served notice Thursday that the nation’s COVID-19 response is under new management and he’s demanding progress to reduce infections and lift the siege Americans have endured for nearly a year.

The 10 orders signed by Biden are aimed at jump starting his national COVID-19 strategy to increase vaccinations and testing, lay the groundwork for reopening schools and businesses, and immediately increase the use of masks — including a requirement that Americans mask up for travel. One directive calls for a addressing health care inequities in minority communities hard hit by the virus.

Biden tamped his enthusiasm with some grim realities.

“We didn’t get into this mess overnight, and it will take months to turn this around,” Biden said. “Despite the best intentions we’re going to face setbacks “ But he declared: “To a nation waiting for action, let me be clear on this point: Help is on the way.”

And while Biden may have a slight majority in Congress, that doesn’t mean that the Democratic voters will be thrilled with what he brings to bear.

There are already critical voices popping up on the left after the $2,000 stimulus checks pushed by two Senate candidates from Georgia have turned into $1,400 checks.