US President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with the Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force and private sector CEOs in the South Auditorium of the White House in Washington, DC, on December 22, 2021.
The states will need to take the lead in controlling the Pandemic, but President Joe Biden pledged to support governors who are struggling with the omicron variant of Covid-19.
Speaking before a meeting with some of the nation's governors, Biden said there was no federal solution. This is solved at a state level.
One of the most explicit acknowledgements to date from the Biden administration is that it will need help from state and local governments in its efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19.
The president may be concerned that federal initiatives to contain the virus can't be effective without states' help. Governors could be put under more pressure to take a bigger role in controlling the disease.
CNBC asked the White House for clarification.
Biden was asked if he supports revised recommendations for shortened quark periods.
I rely on my medical team. He said that he followed a recommendation.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has changed its recommendations for people who may have been exposed to the virus. The CDC says that a 10- or seven-day quark is appropriate for potential exposure, instead of the standard 14-day quark.
The omicron variant poses a threat to Biden, who was campaigning on the federal government's ability to curb the Pandemic.
The president made a number of promises last week, including the purchase of 500 million rapid coronaviruses tests.
He told the governors to say something if they need it. We are going to have your back no matter what.
The administration will distribute the tests free to Americans, support more vaccination and testing sites, and deploy 1,000 military medical professionals to bolster hospital staff.
The administration has made a promise to slow the disease more difficult because of the virus's ability to spread and sometimes lead to positive cases among those who have received a vaccine. The vaccine and virus have become political footballs. Many Americans, especially those who supported Donald Trump, don't want to be vaccined.
Governors' responses to the Biden administration's efforts have been mixed.
In October, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order prohibiting private businesses from requiring Covid-19 vaccinations on employees or customers. Florida's governor, who is thought to be a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 20 years, has recently broken away from federal public health guidance and vaccine mandates.
During the holiday season in 2021, the Biden administration wants Americans to take extra precautions to protect their families from the spread of the disease.
The president made a remark as Covid-19 cases surged over the Christmas holiday weekend.
In the past week, a number of states, including New Jersey and New York, have reported more coronaviruses than in any other period.
Health experts urge rigorous public safety protocols and say the variant could strain the U.S. hospital system and lead to more deaths.
It goes up and down. The last weekly average was about 150,000, and it will go much higher, according to an infectious disease expert.
On Wednesday, before the holiday weekend disrupted Covid trackers, the seven-day national average of new daily cases surpassed 176,000, a 44% increase over the past 14 days. The seven-day average of deaths increased to 1,213 from 1,103.
