Biden's Plan to Fight the Coronavirus
2021-01-22
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1U.S. President Joe Biden signed 10 executive orders Thursday as part of his plan to fight the coronavirus.
2Biden will establish a COVID-19 testing board to increase testing, deal with supply shortages, establish rules for international travelers and direct resources to hard-hit minority communities.
3The new president has promised to take more forceful measures to contain the virus than the Donald Trump administration.
4He faces major barriers, with the virus actively spreading in most states.
5Vaccinations have been slow in many places.
6It is also unclear whether congressional Republicans will help him pass a $1.9-trillion economic relief and COVID response bill.
7"We need to ask average Americans to do their part," said Jeff Zients, the White House official directing the national response.
8"Defeating the virus requires a coordinated nationwide effort."
9Officials in the Biden administration say they were delayed by a lack of cooperation from the Trump administration during the change in presidency.
10They say they do not have a complete understanding of past actions on vaccine distribution.
11And they face accusations from states that say they are not getting enough vaccine even as they are being asked to vaccinate more people.
12Dr. Anthony Fauci is Biden's top medical adviser on COVID-19.
13He announced renewed U.S. support for the World Health Organization after the Trump administration left the United Nations health agency.
14Fauci said early Thursday that the U.S. will join the WHO's efforts to bring vaccines and treatments to people in need, whether in rich or poor countries.
15He added that the U.S. will again provide full financial and other support for the organization.
16A new face mask requirement for travel in the U.S. will apply to airports and airplanes, ships, city buses, trains and public transportation.
17Biden has also required masks on federal property.
18Travelers from overseas must provide a negative COVID-19 test before leaving for the United States and quarantine after arrival.
19Biden also is seeking to expand testing and vaccine availability, with the goal of giving 100 million shots in his first 100 days in office.
20Biden has directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to begin setting up vaccination centers.
21The aim is to have 100 centers open in a month.
22Biden is also ordering the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to begin a program to make vaccines available through local drugstores starting next month.
23And he is directing the Public Health Service to assist with vaccinations in some areas.
24There is also support for states.
25Biden is ordering FEMA to pay back states for the full cost of using their National Guards to set up vaccination centers.
26That includes the use of supplies and protective equipment as well as workers.
27Some independent experts say the new administration should set a higher goal for itself than 100 million shots.
28Dr. Christopher Murray is with the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in Seattle, Washington.
29He said that during flu season, the country is able to vaccinate about 3 million people in a day.
30"Given the number of people dying from COVID, we could and should do more - like what we're able to do on seasonal flu," Murray said.
31Biden has also set a goal of having most lower-level schools reopen in his first 100 days.
32He is ordering the departments of Education and Health and Human Services to provide clear guidance for reopening schools safely.
33But administration officials say that reopening schools safely depends on increased testing.
34"We do not have nearly enough testing capacity in this country," Jeff Zients said.
35"We need the money in order to really ramp up testing, which is so important to reopen schools and businesses."
36Efforts to reopen the economy will depend on how quickly lawmakers act on the $1.9 trillion bill proposed by Biden.
37The bill includes separate measures such as $1,400 in direct payments to people and a $15 minimum wage.
38There is also a measure to provide aid to state and local governments.
39Some Republican lawmakers see the measure as unnecessary for dealing with the health crisis.
40The Biden plan estimates that a national vaccination plan with increased testing requires $160 billion.
41The new president wants another $170 billion to help in the reopening of schools and universities.
42The proposal also calls for major investment in scientific research to track new forms of the virus.
43Experts are concerned that some mutations may spread more easily and also prove harder to treat.
44I'm Jonathan Evans.
1U.S. President Joe Biden signed 10 executive orders Thursday as part of his plan to fight the coronavirus. 2Biden will establish a COVID-19 testing board to increase testing, deal with supply shortages, establish rules for international travelers and direct resources to hard-hit minority communities. 3The new president has promised to take more forceful measures to contain the virus than the Donald Trump administration. He faces major barriers, with the virus actively spreading in most states. Vaccinations have been slow in many places. 4It is also unclear whether congressional Republicans will help him pass a $1.9-trillion economic relief and COVID response bill. 5"We need to ask average Americans to do their part," said Jeff Zients, the White House official directing the national response. "Defeating the virus requires a coordinated nationwide effort." 6Officials in the Biden administration say they were delayed by a lack of cooperation from the Trump administration during the change in presidency. They say they do not have a complete understanding of past actions on vaccine distribution. And they face accusations from states that say they are not getting enough vaccine even as they are being asked to vaccinate more people. 7Dr. Anthony Fauci is Biden's top medical adviser on COVID-19. He announced renewed U.S. support for the World Health Organization after the Trump administration left the United Nations health agency. 8Fauci said early Thursday that the U.S. will join the WHO's efforts to bring vaccines and treatments to people in need, whether in rich or poor countries. He added that the U.S. will again provide full financial and other support for the organization. 9A new face mask requirement for travel in the U.S. will apply to airports and airplanes, ships, city buses, trains and public transportation. Biden has also required masks on federal property. 10Travelers from overseas must provide a negative COVID-19 test before leaving for the United States and quarantine after arrival. 11Biden also is seeking to expand testing and vaccine availability, with the goal of giving 100 million shots in his first 100 days in office. 12Biden has directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to begin setting up vaccination centers. The aim is to have 100 centers open in a month. Biden is also ordering the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to begin a program to make vaccines available through local drugstores starting next month. And he is directing the Public Health Service to assist with vaccinations in some areas. 13There is also support for states. Biden is ordering FEMA to pay back states for the full cost of using their National Guards to set up vaccination centers. That includes the use of supplies and protective equipment as well as workers. 14Some independent experts say the new administration should set a higher goal for itself than 100 million shots. Dr. Christopher Murray is with the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in Seattle, Washington. He said that during flu season, the country is able to vaccinate about 3 million people in a day. 15"Given the number of people dying from COVID, we could and should do more - like what we're able to do on seasonal flu," Murray said. 16Biden has also set a goal of having most lower-level schools reopen in his first 100 days. He is ordering the departments of Education and Health and Human Services to provide clear guidance for reopening schools safely. 17But administration officials say that reopening schools safely depends on increased testing. 18"We do not have nearly enough testing capacity in this country," Jeff Zients said. "We need the money in order to really ramp up testing, which is so important to reopen schools and businesses." 19Efforts to reopen the economy will depend on how quickly lawmakers act on the $1.9 trillion bill proposed by Biden. The bill includes separate measures such as $1,400 in direct payments to people and a $15 minimum wage. There is also a measure to provide aid to state and local governments. Some Republican lawmakers see the measure as unnecessary for dealing with the health crisis. 20The Biden plan estimates that a national vaccination plan with increased testing requires $160 billion. The new president wants another $170 billion to help in the reopening of schools and universities. The proposal also calls for major investment in scientific research to track new forms of the virus. Experts are concerned that some mutations may spread more easily and also prove harder to treat. 21I'm Jonathan Evans. 22Jonathan Evans adapted this story for Learning English based on reports from the Associated Press and Reuters news service. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 23_______________________________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25apply - v. to cause (force, pressure, etc.) to have an effect or to be felt 26capacity - n. the ability to do something : a mental, emotional, or physical ability 27distribution - n. the way that something is divided or spread out 28mask - n. a covering used to protect your face or cover your mouth 29minimum wage - n. an amount of money that is the least amount of money per hour that workers must be paid according to the law 30mutations - n. a change in a gene or the resulting new trait it produces in an individual 31negative - adj. not positive 32quarantine - n. the period of time during which a person or animal that has a disease or that might have a disease is kept away from others to prevent the disease from spreading 33ramp up - v. to buildup; to increase 34response - n. something that is done as a reaction to something else