Joe Biden clings to Covid-19 caution as US seeks to leave pandemic behind
- New York among Democratic-led states to roll back mask mandates as US eyes normalisation
- US president is still haunted by his premature declaration of victory over Covid-19 last summer
The Democrat, elected on a promise to defeat the pandemic, finds himself in an increasingly tricky position as the receding Omicron virus spurs Americans into dreaming of a return to normal life.
Many leaders in Republican-controlled states have long tried to act as if Covid-19 was already over, even as their hospitals filled with sick and dying voters.
Now, though, with cases truly plummeting, Biden allies are joining in.
California, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island: in just a few days, the list of Democratic-led states declaring an end or relaxation to two years of mask rules has flipped from a trickle to a flood.
Biden? He’s still waiting for the word from the Centers for Disease Control – and the CDC wants Americans to stay masked.