Restore Mask Mandates, Biden Tells States Amid New COVID Spike
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the COVID-19 response and the state of vaccinations in the South Court Auditorium at the White House complex on March 29, 2021 in Washington, DC. President Biden announced Monday that 90% of Americans will have a vaccination site within five miles of their homes by April 19. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

President Joe Biden is urging governors and other local leaders to maintain or reimpose the implementation of mask mandates to help protect the country from another wave of COVID-19 infections.

Biden noted that states should pause their efforts to reopen, adding that the work is far from over.

"The war against COVID-19 is far from won," Biden said as CNBC reported.

Biden's appeal came hours after Dr. Rochelle Walensky, head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), warned of her sense of "impending doom" of a potential fourth wave of coronavirus cases.

As the Biden administration warned the public that the cases, hospitalizations, and deaths related to COVID-19 continue to rise, Walensky urged public officials to spread the word about the seriousness of the condition.

"I'm going to lose the script and I'm going to reflect on the recurring feeling I have of impending doom," Walensky said in a Reuters report. She added that she is scared of the situation at the moment.

Dropping of Mask Mandates

Some states have already scrapped their pandemic restrictions to reopen their state economies, such as Texas and Florida.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott earlier announced the dropping of restrictions, issuing an executive order rescinding most of his earlier executive order that included the mask mandate.

Abbott has also announced that businesses in the state will be allowed to open with no restrictions starting this month, according to a Unilad report.

The governor said that many Texans have already been sidelined from employment opportunities, adding that too many small business owners have struggled to make ends meet.

Abbott also noted that 5.7 million vaccine shots had been administered in the state as of Tuesday. He added that county judges could impose restrictions if hospitalizations in the state rise to more than 15 percent of the region's hospital bed capacity for a week straight.

According to another CNBC report, Maryland, Mississippi, Connecticut, Arizona, West Virginia, and Wyoming recently announced similar plans.

Meanwhile, some states are reopening slowly, such as New York City and New Jersey. Establishments in these states will be allowed to reopen at half capacity, an increase from the 35 percent capacity.

On the other hand, California is planning to open its theme parks, outdoor stadiums, and ballparks on Apr. 1 at reduced capacity.

Vaccination Measures

The administration has increased the number of pharmacies participating in a federal immunization program starting from 17,000 to about 40,000.

The new measures also create a dozen more mass vaccination sites, including $100 million in funding to help vaccinate the vulnerable and at-risk older adults, as well as people with disabilities, AFP News reported.

The goal is to ensure that 90 percent of adults will have a vaccination site within five miles of where they live.

The rate of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. had been in a steady count for several weeks. However, it is once more rising, with the most recent data showing the week average at close to 60,000 new daily cases.

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