WASHINGTON, DC, — President Joe Biden’s administration said Monday, Jan. 30, that it would end COVID-19 emergency declarations on May 11, nearly 3 years after the United States imposed sweeping pandemic measures to slow the spread of the disease.
The COVID-19 National Emergency and Public Health Emergency (PHE) were established in 2020 through then-President Donald Trump. Biden has prolonged the measures, which allow millions of Americans to get tests, vaccines and loose treatments.
The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) said in a statement that the rebates, which were set to expire in the coming months, would be extended through May 11 and then cancelled.
“This phase-out would align with past management commitments to deliver at least 60 days prior to the termination of the PHE,” OMB said in a management policy statement.
The government paid for COVID-19 vaccines, some tests and remedies as part of the PHE declaration. When it expires, those prices will be transferred to insurance and public health plans.
The expiration of PHE will also end guidelines, known as Title 42, that deport migrants from Nicaragua, Cuba and Haiti caught crossing the U. S. -Mexico border into Mexico, the firm said. OMB.
The OMB separately said Biden would veto a proposed bill in the U. S. Congress. The U. S. Department of Health Protection would eliminate COVID-19 vaccination mandates for health care providers running in certain federal programs.
COVID-19 cases are declining in the United States, though more than 500 people continue to die every day from the disease, according to government data Rappler. com.