White House Leaves Door Open to Supporting New Lockdowns
The Biden administration is not yet saying it supports a return of COVID-inspired lockdowns, but it is not opposing them, either.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki danced around the issue during Tuesday’s briefing, according to a White House transcript.
“If the number of cases continues to trend upward, are there any circumstances under which the White House would reimpose some of those restrictions as cases tick up? Or would that be up to the states?” she was asked.
Psaki offered an indirect response.
“Well, the states are going to have to make evaluations and local communities are going to have to make evaluations about what’s in their interests,” she said. “And, as you know, there are much higher rates of vaccinations in some parts of the country over others, and we certainly support their decisions to implement any measures that they think will help their community [be] safe.”
Psaki also tried to say that the Biden administration’s vaccination program was such a success lockdowns might not be needed.
“But I would remind you, we’re at a point where we’re almost at 70 percent vaccination rate for — well, for 20 — adults 27 and older, but almost for adults 18 and older. So, certainly, we don’t see we’re on track to implementing new, additional national measures,” she said.
Lockdowns have not been reimposed yet in the U.S., but other nations have done so.
In Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City just imposed a lockdown because of an outbreak there, according to Reuters.
In Sydney, a lockdown has been imposed due to the delta variant of the coronavirus, according to France 24.
“This Delta strain is a game changer, it’s extremely transmissible,” New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian.
“We don’t want to be in a position where we are constantly having to move between lockdown, no lockdown, lockdown, no lockdown,” she said.
Britain remains under lockdown rules that are set to expire on July 19, according to the BBC.
@POTUS Mr President Read Coronavirus Human Reality, in UK
Delta & Deadly Peru Variant that Vaccines provide Little Protection will be Pandemic in US soon.
Mandate Vaccinations!
World’s strictest lockdown lifting, but many scared to go back to normalityhttps://t.co/TWamETIkEx
— Brian Allen Pro Biden GOP (@BAllenPOTUS2020) July 7, 2021
Last month, Los Angeles County, in response to the spread of the delta variant of the virus, issued a recommendation that everyone wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status, according to The New York Times.
Also in California, the state Capitol imposed a mask mandate for workers indoors after a spike in cases, according to the Sacramento Bee.
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