How will President-Elect Joe Biden influence our daily lives due to the coronavirus pandemic? As Covid-19 becomes an increasing concern in public health, many worry about how our lifestyles may change over actions to mitigate this pandemic.

Two days after being declared President-Elect, Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris announced their COVID-19 advisory board composed of infectious-disease researchers and former public-health advisors who aim to construct a pandemic plan.

“Dealing with the coronavirus pandemic is one of the most important battles our administration will face, and I will be informed by science and by experts,” said President-Elect Biden. As seen throughout his campaign, beating COVID-19 is of utmost priority for President-Elect Joe Biden.

A crucial step in Biden’s plan to combat the COVID-19 pandemic includes the mask mandate. Biden will continue to urge for “every American to wear a mask when they are around people outside their household.” Another critical factor in combating this virus, according to Biden, is to “provide clear, consistent, evidence-based guidance for how communities should navigate the pandemic.” Social distancing guidelines play a significant role in this. Biden will have to determine whether to open or close individual businesses, schools, restaurants, bars, and other highly-populated areas.

Sanjana Karamchandani ’22 says this regarding how Joe Biden’s presidency will impact her life, “Joe Biden being president will definitely influence our daily lifestyle. I’m pretty sure there will be a mask mandate and some sort of restriction on the size of gatherings, and although it will definitely affect my lifestyle, I think this is the best plan of action to take in order to mitigate this pandemic.”

There are many students from public schools who have been either required by their school to stay online or believe going back to school will be unsafe because of their school’s lack of resources to enforce proper COVID-19 guidelines. Biden calls on Congress “to pass an emergency package to ensure schools have the additional resources they need to adapt effectively to COVID-19.” This means that many students who have been attending online school may have the opportunity to attend in-person school without the fear of insufficient resources.

The lifestyle of many people, especially students, will be significantly influenced by Joe Biden’s presidency. Biden says he will adhere to the most recent scientific studies and decisions imposed by various public health officials around the country. He calls for a rigorous plan to combat and mitigate COVID-19, and students across the country play a colossal role in this strategic process.

Sources:

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03207-2
https://www.vogue.com/article/kamala-harris-mask