Washington — President-elect Joe Biden will deliver remarks Tuesday on the coronavirus crisis as states brace for a surge in infections stemming from travel over the holiday season.
While the number of daily new coronavirus cases appears to be leveling off, public health experts warn the counts could be affected by underreporting due to the holidays and instead predict January could be a difficult month. There are more than 19.3 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus and the death toll, currently at more than 334,000, continues to rise, according to Johns Hopkins University.
How to watch President-elect Joe Biden’s remarks
- What: President-elect Joe Biden delivers remarks on the COVID-19 crisis
- When: Tuesday, December 29
- Time: 3:45 p.m. ET
- Location: Wilmington, Delaware
- Online stream: Live on CBSN-in the player above or on your mobile or streaming device
Mr. Biden has repeatedly encouraged Americans to continue following public health guidelines intended to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, such as wearing masks and remaining socially distant from others, even as two vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are now being distributed and administered to health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities. The president-elect laid out this month key objectives to combat the coronavirus pandemic in his first 100 days in office and has acknowledged his immediate challenge once sworn in next month will be addressing the economic fallout from the pandemic.
Last week, the president-elect provided the contours of a coronavirus relief plan he intends to request from Congress, which would include another round of direct payments to Americans, as well as federal assistance for state and local governments.
Congress last week passed a $900 billion coronavirus relief measure, combined with a $1.4 trillion government spending bill, that includes $600 direct payments to Americans making up to $75,000. But President Trump jeopardized the package after it had been passed by lawmakers, imposing an 11th-hour demand to increase the payments to $2,000.
The president ultimately relented Sunday after leaving the measure in limbo for several days and signed the legislation. The Democrat-controlled House passed Monday a bill to increase the direct payments to $2,000, though it’s unclear whether it will be brought up for a vote in the Senate.
