WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden is ruling out the possibility of a national lockdown to address the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking to reporters in Wilmington, Delaware, on Thursday, Biden said there will be “no national shutdown” when he’s in office because “every region, every area, every community can be different” and a blanket lockdown would be “counterproductive.”
Biden has faced questions about whether he’d pursue a nationwide shutdown to try to rein in the virus after one of the members of his coronavirus task force floated the possibility in an interview.
But Biden and other members of the task force have said the proposal is not on the table and is not the best option to address the pandemic.
Biden did say that there may be “constraints” in the “degree to which business can be open,” suggesting federal and state officials would be “calibrating” what can remain open based on the local trends in the pandemic.
U.S. House Observes Moment of Silence As U.S. Coronavirus Death Toll Passes 250,000 https://t.co/ebyFZ1CO9j pic.twitter.com/qcUcoDAAXl
— CSPAN (@cspan) November 19, 2020
In a virtual meeting with governors, Biden has expressed concern that President Donald Trump’s unprecedented attempt to block the peaceful transition of power at the White House has hindered the flow of information about programs to fast-track a coronavirus vaccine.
The president-elect tells the National Governors Association’s leadership team that his incoming team “hasn’t been able to get everything we need” from the Trump administration.
Biden specifically cited “Operation Warp Speed,” the federal government’s partnership with private pharmaceutical companies to develop a COVID-19 vaccine.
Biden promised state leaders that he’d “make sure you get the resources you need … to beat this virus.”
President-elect @JoeBiden remarks after meeting with @NatlGovsAssoc – LIVE online here: https://t.co/TRlXmLAiGM pic.twitter.com/rGPI4DT1SW
— CSPAN (@cspan) November 19, 2020
