China News Service, Washington, March 12th, title: Biden's first national televised speech: set "big determination" and "small goals" to fight the epidemic
China News Agency reporter Chen Mengtong
Wearing a black mask, walking through the promenade of the Central Hall of the White House, U.S. President Biden came to the East Room on the evening of the 11th to deliver his first national televised speech during his term.
"Tonight, I want to talk to you about the current situation in the United States as we commemorate the first anniversary of the suspension of all activities due to the new crown virus pandemic." Biden said.
Data map: US President Biden.
The 11th is Biden's 51st day as President.
It is more than half of the three hundred-day visions he proposed to "complete 100 million doses of vaccinations, mask orders, and restart the campus".
Biden self-evaluated that in the past 50 days, he used all his powers as president to deal with the epidemic in a "state of war", and took "the most complicated action in history" and "has now made some real progress."
He said that the "only way" for American society to return to normal and the economy back on track is to defeat the new crown virus.
A day ago, Biden announced that the United States had purchased an additional 100 million doses of the new crown vaccine, which only requires a single dose.
This allows the United States to have enough vaccine supplies to vaccinate 500 million people, which is more than the total population of the United States.
In a speech of more than 20 minutes that day, calling on the American people to be vaccinated became a key message sent by Biden.
To this end, he announced new goals to show this determination.
Biden said that he will instruct U.S. states and localities to allow all adults in the U.S. to register for vaccination appointments before May 1.
Biden has previously announced that there will be enough vaccines for adults across the United States by the end of May.
However, according to a survey released by the Pew Research Center on the 5th, 69% of Americans have been or would like to be vaccinated, and 30% of respondents still indicated that they did not want to be vaccinated.
"But I need you. I need every American to do their part. This is not an exaggeration. I need you." When he said this, Biden leaned forward and stretched his hands towards the TV camera. "We need every Individuals are vaccinated. We need everyone to wash their hands frequently, maintain social distancing, and wear masks. Because even if we invest all our resources, defeating the virus and returning to normalcy depends on the unity of the country."
Since taking office, Biden has been cautious about when the United States can return to normalcy from the epidemic.
The speech that night was the first time that he clearly conveyed to the American people the short-term goal of fighting the epidemic-July 4.
Biden said that with the expansion of the vaccinated population, Americans will then have the opportunity to "have a picnic and barbecue with their relatives and friends on the Independence Day holiday" in their own courtyard.
He said, "After a long and difficult year, this will make this year's Independence Day truly special. At that time, we will not only commemorate the independence of the United States, but also celebrate the escape from the epidemic."
Although the U.S. epidemic curve has gradually declined in the past two months, the base of confirmed cases is still huge.
As of March 11, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the United States has exceeded 29.28 million, and the number of deaths has exceeded 530,000.
In previous public speeches, Biden has taken out the schedule card from his pocket more than once and read the cumulative number of confirmed cases and deaths recorded on the back of the card.
He read the number on the card again that night and said that the number of deaths from the new crown in the United States has exceeded the total number of deaths in the two world wars, the Vietnam War and the "9.11" terrorist attacks.
In his speech, Biden also repeatedly emphasized that the epidemic may rebound, "If we do not remain vigilant, the situation may change."
He said that national unity is not just how politicians vote in Washington, but also expressing in the loudest voice on TV or the Internet, "Unity is what we as fellow Americans do."
"We have made a lot of progress. Now is not the time to relax." Towards the end of the speech, Biden said, "Just as we have just walked out of the dark winter and entered the hopeful spring, now is not the time to fail to comply with the (prevention) guidelines. ."(Finish)