US White House COVID Task Force Briefs After 4 Months... "No Lockdown Measures"

Vice President Pence Presides... "Do Not Recommend School Closures"
Fauci: "Vaccinations to Begin by End of December... Safe"

On the 19th (local time), Vice President Mike Pence appeared at the White House COVID-19 Task Force briefing held that day to explain the COVID-19 situation and future measures. The COVID-19 Task Force briefings had been suspended since last July. [Image source=White House]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The U.S. White House's COVID-19 task force, which had suspended briefings for four months since last July, held a briefing hosted by Vice President Mike Pence. President Donald Trump did not attend this briefing either, while Vice President Pence stated that school closures would not be recommended and there would be no nationwide lockdowns. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the country's top infectious disease expert, also reiterated that vaccinations would begin by the end of the year and that there would be no lockdowns.

According to foreign media including CNBC, on the 19th (local time), Vice President Mike Pence held a White House COVID-19 task force briefing and emphasized, "The United States is already prepared to fight the virus," and "There will be no nationwide lockdowns, and school closures are not recommended." This statement is interpreted as an effort to alleviate market concerns that had spread due to forecasts of economic downturns, such as the New York Stock Exchange falling during trading amid expectations that the U.S. government might impose lockdown measures.

Robert Redfield, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who appeared at the task force briefing with Pence, explained the reason for not recommending school closures by stating, "Student infections mainly occurred in communities and homes, not in schools," and "One of the safest places for young students is the school rather than transmission within schools."

Dr. Fauci, a U.S. infectious disease expert, also said at the task force briefing, "The efficacy of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines reaches 95%, which is almost comparable to the measles vaccine," and emphasized, "Although there are concerns that the vaccines were developed too quickly, accelerating the process did not compromise safety." He added, "Vaccinations will begin with priority groups starting at the end of the year, and there will be no lockdowns," reiterating this point.

President Trump did not attend this briefing either. The White House COVID-19 task force had suspended briefings for over four months since holding one in Louisiana on July 14. With the cumulative confirmed cases in the U.S. exceeding 11 million and cumulative deaths surpassing 250,000, the White House has faced criticism for appearing to neglect COVID-19 response efforts.

Meanwhile, President-elect Joe Biden also emphasized at a press conference that there would be no nationwide lockdowns related to COVID-19. Biden stated, "I will not shut down the economy. I will shut down the virus, and there will be no nationwide lockdown. There is no need to say more."

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