WASHINGTON – On his second day in office, President Joe Biden will sign ten executive orders to step up Covid-19 vaccines, expand testing and reopen schools while drawing up a detailed plan to tackle the pandemic.
The new administration will increase the number of vaccination sites by creating federal community vaccination centers in stadiums, gyms and conference centers with thousands of additional employees, some from federal and military agencies, as well as first responders.
Biden’s plan also seeks ways to speed up vaccine production, including the use of the Defense Production Act, strengthening the supply chain and releasing more federal government reserves. Biden will encourage all states to start vaccinating people aged 65 and over, along with some essential workers, including teachers and grocery workers.
Biden set an ambitious goal of firing 100 million shots in 100 days – accelerating the pace of the 17 million shots that the Trump administration recorded in just over a month. Government officials think they have the supply and resources to meet the target, but said they will need funding from Congress to expand vaccination to the general population, increase testing and help reopen schools. Biden is asking for more than $ 400 million to respond to the pandemic as part of a $ 1.9 trillion stimulus package.
“While we urgently execute the strategy, we need Congress to act – and act quickly. Congress must provide the necessary funding for Covid’s aid package, the American Rescue Plan, which the president will soon send to them,” Jeffrey Zients , Biden’s Covid-19 response coordinator, said in a call to reporters.
Biden also plans to sign an executive order on Thursday to require people to wear masks at airports and airplanes, trains and ships and to require international travelers to test Covid-19 negative before leaving for the U.S.
Biden’s coronavirus team said that due to the Trump administration’s lack of information sharing during the transition, it is just beginning to understand the state of the vaccination program. The authorities have just started to evaluate the supply and production schedule to find out how much vaccine they can deliver and, at the same time, ensure that there will be enough left for people to receive their second doses, said Zients.
Biden said he wants most K-8 schools to open in their first 100 days. To help make this happen, he will sign a presidential memorandum reimbursing schools for additional cleaning, protective equipment and other costs associated with students returning to classrooms, using humanitarian funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It will also direct its management to develop new reopening guidelines.
Biden will also guide agencies to use their powers, including the Defense Production Act, to accelerate the production of missing items, and will guide FEMA to increase federal reimbursement from 75 percent to 100 percent of the cost of the National Guard, emergency personnel and supplies needed to set up vaccination centers.
The government has said it will begin holding regular public briefings led by scientists and will increase the amount of data shared publicly, including metrics on race, health care capacity and vaccine supplies.
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“The federal government must be the source of the truth for the public to obtain clear, accessible and scientifically accurate information about Covid-19,” said Zients. “We will be honest, transparent and direct with the American people to rebuild that trust.”
Biden issued more than a dozen executive orders and memos in his early hours on Wednesday, undoing many of the marks of President Donald Trump’s administration and beginning to leave his own mark on how the U.S. will respond to its multiple crises. Aides said more executive action is expected in the coming days and weeks.
