Biden to announce COVID-19 task force Monday
On Monday, Joe Biden will unveil a group of scientists and experts to help him craft a plan to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden announced his plans to launch the COVID-19 task force during remarks at his victory party Saturday night. He said those advisers would help him take the proposals he鈥檚 released during the campaign for dealing with the pandemic 鈥� which include investments in personal protective equipment and loans for small businesses as well as plans to implement more standardized public health guidelines 鈥� and turn those proposals into a 鈥渂lueprint鈥� that he鈥檒l enact when inaugurated president next January.
Biden said the plan would be 鈥渂uilt on bedrock science鈥� and 鈥渃onstructed out of compassion, empathy and concern.鈥� Biden made President Donald Trump鈥檚 mishandling of the pandemic a central focus of his campaign and pledged that his top priority as president would be managing the virus.
Biden said that 鈥渙ur work begins with getting COVID under control鈥� , adding Americans 鈥渃annot repair the economy, restore our economy or relish life鈥檚 most precious moments鈥� without doing so.
Biden will have to cope with the coronavirus, which has killed more than 230,000 Americans. Biden has promised to use his transition period to meet with the governors of every state and ask them to impose a nationwide mask-wearing mandate. He says he plans to go around any holdouts to secure such rules from county and local officials.
Another key decision will be how Biden decides to deploy his running mate, California Sen. Kamala Harris. His campaign has indicated that Biden will establish a White House-level coronavirus task force like Trump did, but it's not clear if he will tap Harris to run it. Vice President Mike Pence heads the current panel.
