Biden to give prime-time address on anniversary of pandemic lockdown

President Biden will deliver a prime-time address on Thursday to mark the anniversary of the country effectively locking down due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“He will discuss the many sacrifices the American people have made over the last year, and the grave loss communities and families across the country have suffered,” press secretary Jen Psaki said at a briefing with reporters.

“The president will look forward, highlighting the role Americans will play in beating the virus and moving the country toward getting back to normal.”

The speech, which will be Biden’s first prime-time address since taking office, will coincide with the one-year mark since then-President Trump restricted travel into the United States. 

Within an hour of Trump’s announcement, the NBA had suspended its season due to a positive test, and Tom Hanks was revealed to have contracted the virus.

Daily life rapidly changed in the days that followed as Americans were urged to avoid public gatherings, wear masks and maintain a distance of at least six feet from other individuals to slow the spread of the virus.

Roughly 1,000 Americans had tested positive for the virus and more than 30 had died as of March 11, 2020. As of Monday morning, more than 29 million Americans have tested positive for the virus and at least 525,000 have died of COVID-19, according to John’s Hopkins University.

Biden and other White House officials have urged Americans to remain vigilant and continue wearing masks, even as the pace of vaccinations steadily increases. Biden said over the weekend that the country will have enough vaccines for every American adult by mid-May.