US President Joe Biden who is the oldest man to become US President at the age of 77, will be taking a series of measures to tackle the pandemic that has claimed 500,000 lives in the US. There will be a mandate to wear masks and to practice social distancing on all federal government property. Biden has plans to create the position of Covid-19 Response Coordinator, who will report directly to the President and to launch a 100 Days Masking Challenge making every American to wear masks for 100 days.
Alongside these measures, he held a candlelight vigil outside the White House to mark this grim moment in American history as 500,000 Americans had lost their lives due to the virus. He was joined by First Lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff. The memorial included a moment of silence and lighting of 500 candles to signify the number of lives lost.
Biden is also set to launch a whole government initiative to advance racial equity. He made a public pledge to crack down on xenophobia against Asian – Americans in the wake of an increase in violence and harassment during the pandemic. The memorandum also urges the US Department of Justice to partner with those communities to prevent hate crimes and harassment against them.
The President also aims to make schools and communities safer by enacting laws to reduce gun violence.
