I speculated politicians and bureaucrats would use the failure to stem the Omicron COVID variant surge to start dropping ineffective and destructive pandemic policies.
Hardly 24-hours passed since I penned that prediction when Biden admitted there was ‘no federal solution’ to the current Omicron wave.
“Look, there is no federal solution. This gets solved at the state level,” he said. “And then ultimately gets down to where the rubber meets the road, and that’s where the patient is in need of help or preventing the need for help.””If you need something, say something,” Biden continued, outlining steps the federal government has taken in recent months to carry out his pandemic response plan.
The current administration is handing off the response to the states.
Those comments represent one of the most explicit acknowledgements to date from the Biden administration that it will need help from state and local governments in its efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19.The president may be concerned that federal initiatives to contain the virus can’t be effective without states’ help. The comments could also be an attempt to put added pressure on governors to take a greater role in trying to control the disease.
President Donald Trump first adopted the state-based approach. Add that to the growing list of Trump-era policies Biden would have been better off keeping.
Regrets…he’ll have a few in 2022.
But Biden isn’t the only one switching gears in the face of Omicron. U.S. health officials have now cut isolation restrictions for Americans who catch the coronavirus from 10 to five days.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said the guidance is in keeping with growing evidence that people with the coronavirus are most infectious in the two days before and three days after symptoms develop.The decision also was driven by a recent surge in COVID-19 cases, propelled by the omicron variant.Early research suggests omicron may cause milder illnesses than earlier versions of the coronavirus. But the sheer number of people becoming infected – and therefore having to isolate or quarantine – threatens to crush the ability of hospitals, airlines and other businesses to stay open, experts say.
I recently told some family members over eggnog that we couldn’t shut down whole sectors of our economy over mild colds, which is what Omicron is turning out to be for most people. The human body is designed to ward off respiratory pathogens effectively…even this one.
In conclusion, we have enough data at this point to:
Biden’s statement is historic. It is the first time I recall that a Democratic Party leader put state power ahead of federal power.
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