22 Jan 2021
President Joe Biden unveiled sweeping measures to battle COVID-19 on his first full day in office on Thursday, with his chief medical adviser, Anthony Fauci, praising his new boss’s willingness to “let the science speak” in contrast to the Trump administration.
Biden said he was stepping up the federal response to the virus including by taking steps to expand testing and vaccinations and increase mask-wearing.
“This is a wartime undertaking,” the Democratic president said at a White House event where he signed executive orders to ramp up testing, address supply shortfalls, establish protocols for international travelers, and direct resources to hard-hit minority communities.