WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd March, 2021) The Biden administration doubled down on warnings against easing the coronavirus pandemic restrictions amid decisions by some US states to ease or eliminate rules for masks, public gatherings and other mitigation measures, the White House COVID-19 Task Force said on Wednesday.
"Now is not the time," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky said. "The next month or two is really pivotal in terms of how this pandemic goes. As we scale up vaccination we really do need to decrease the amount of virus that is circulating as we're trying to vaccinate all of the public."
While the CDC warnings are not new, they take on an added urgency following Tuesday's announcement by Texas Governor Gregg Abbott to end all restrictions in a bid for a 100 percent reopening of the state economy, the COVID-19 Task Force said.
"We hope that other elected officials who have authority in their domains will in fact listen," COVID-19 Task Force chief Jeff Zients said when asked about Abbott's decision.
But Zients added that additional nationwide restrictions beyond those already imposed were unlikely because the Biden administration had use all available Federal authority to impose rules, such as one requiring masks during interstate travel.
In addition to Texas, several states responded to recent declines in coronavirus cases by easing restrictions. They include Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina and Mississippi.
