Biden: I Would 'Absolutely' Roll Some Things Back if There's a Spike in COVID Cases
During an interview with Tampa’s WFLA News Channel 8 on Tuesday, 2020 Democratic presidential nominee former Vice President Joe Biden stated that he would “absolutely” roll things back a little bit if there is a second coronavirus spike.
Reporter Keith Cate asked, “If you were president right now, let’s say we had a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases, what actions would you take? Would you encourage another shutdown? Would you enforce a national mask mandate? How would you respond?”
Biden responded, “What I laid out back in March, what I suggested the president should do then. Number one, we’d have to get in place testing — same-day testing and do it quickly, move on it, move on it, make it nationwide, number one. Number two, we have to be in a position where we provide all the protective gear, from these masks and — to everything else that are needed for first responders, doctors, nurses, the rescue people, that hasn’t been done. Number three, I would be setting the example that I’ve tried to set since this began of being responsible, wearing masks.”
After Biden criticized President Donald Trump for his rally in Nevada, Cate asked, “So, if we had a spike, sir, would you move forward at rolling things back a little bit?”
Biden responded, “Absolutely. I would make sure that — I would encourage everyone to wear a mask. I would encourage every governor to make it a national — a mandate in their states. I would move on testing, which is a critical element of this. I would move very quickly on making sure that we’re able to deal with — safely open our schools. The schools need about $200 million nationally — I mean, $20 billion nationally to open safely.”
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