Biden: "Trump Administration Failed Early COVID-19 Response... Preparation Needed for Economic Reopening"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Former Vice President Joe Biden, who is virtually confirmed as the Democratic Party's presidential candidate in the United States, strongly criticized the Trump administration's response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and emphasized that prior preparation is necessary to reopen the economy.

On the 12th (local time), Biden wrote an op-ed titled "My Plan to Safely Reopen America" for the New York Times (NYT), stating that to resume economic activities in the U.S., it must "start with effectively responding to the current medical crisis and lead to the widespread efficacy and administration of vaccines."

Biden proposed three measures as prior preparations before reopening economic activities. First, he pointed out that "hospitals and health systems must be prepared for a sudden resurgence of COVID-19 that may occur when economic activities expand again," adding, "Reopening the path will still not be completely safe."

Secondly, he said widespread, easily accessible, and rapid testing is necessary. He stated, "The number of diagnostic tests must be multiplied several times," and "We must prepare to expand to a second form of testing, rapid serological tests that distinguish people infected with COVID-19 who have formed antibodies." He also criticized, "Although the crisis has continued for months, the government still fails to face head-on the 'original sin' of testing failures."

Furthermore, Biden emphasized the need to significantly reduce the number of new confirmed cases. He said social distancing should continue, and frontline workers must receive necessary supplies and equipment. He mentioned, "President Trump should be able to freely use all tools to fight the disease by exercising full authority under the Defense Production Act," and "For more Americans to return to work, President Trump needs to perform his duties better."

Through the op-ed, Biden seemed to emphasize that the Trump administration's mistakes are the reason the U.S. has gained the stigma of being the country with the highest number of COVID-19 cases.

Biden warned the Trump administration, "Do not make mistakes," and said, "An effective plan to defeat the virus is the ultimate answer to how we get the economy back on track. We must stop the idea of separating health and economic responses, but they do not." He added, "If we take these measures, more businesses can reopen, and more people can return to work."

However, he said, "The situation will not normalize immediately," and advised, "We should expect a gradual return, starting with offices and stores before stadiums and movie theaters." He also advised, "As long as there is a risk of the virus spreading again, we must do some other things."

He also mentioned that if he were president, he would convene top experts from each industry to come up with new ideas for safer operations, giving examples such as rearranging offices and factories to increase spacing between workers and spacing out customers in restaurants. Biden added, "President Trump needs to accelerate these ideas and ensure that all businesses, including small and medium enterprises, do so."

Biden emphasized, "When preparing to reopen America, we must remember the lesson of this crisis that if the government fails to honestly assess, communicate, and prepare and plan, it leads to catastrophic results," and said, "Americans have already paid too high a price. Now it is time for the White House to understand this correctly."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.