President Joe Biden is encouraging Americans to not ease up on adhering to guidance designed to curb the spread of COVID-19 as the country has seen an uptick in the number of new cases in recent days.
During an event on Monday, Biden said, “Fight this to the finish. We can and will do this. But don’t let up now.”
As he turned to leave, a reporter asked, “Do you believe that some states should pause their reopening efforts?”
“Yes,” Biden responded.
Watch the video below:
President Biden tells people not to let up on their coronavirus mitigation measures and suggests that states should pause their reopening efforts. pic.twitter.com/OYyRiwt2Zv
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) March 29, 2021
As the U.S. saw cases decline from the record-high number of roughly 300,000 new cases per day in January, several states began to lift their coronavirus restrictions and end mask-mandates.
At the time, Biden said, “I think it’s a big mistake. Look, I hope everybody’s realized by now these masks make a difference. We are on the cusp of fundamentally changing the nature of this disease because of the way in which we’re able to get vaccines in peoples’ arms.”
“And the last thing, the last thing, we need is neanderthal thinking that ‘in the meantime everything’s fine, take off your mask, forget it.’ It still matters,” he added.
The country is now seeing a 15% increase in the number of new cases recorded per day compared to the prior two weeks.
During the same event on Monday, Biden said, “I’m reiterating my call for every governor, mayor, and local leader to maintain and reinstate the mask mandate. Please, this is not politics.”
“Reinstate the mandate if you let it down. Businesses should require masks as well,” he added.
More than 30 million Americans have tested positive for the virus, and over 549,000 have died since last year.
Still, the pace of vaccinations continues to accelerate, and Biden said that by April 19, 90% of adults will be eligible to get the vaccine.
More than 180 million vaccine doses have been distributed, and over 145 million have been administered since late last year.