America is ending its emergency declaration for the pandemic
Many services that Americans have come to rely on are about to wind down
After years of turmoil, America’s covid-19 emergency is formally coming to a close. More than 1.1m Americans died from covid-related causes during the pandemic (in January 2021 weekly deaths were close to 24,000). Now reported deaths are down by over 95% from their peak. And so on May 11th the Biden administration will end the public-health emergency declaration, first issued under President Donald Trump. It enabled the federal government to cut red tape for government programmes and provide urgently needed funds. A programme that allowed FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to pay for extraordinary expenses will also end that day. It is a symbolic moment, but also one with real consequences.
This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “Bye-bye covid”
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