Biden signs law ending the national covid-19 emergency

() — The President of the United States, Joe Biden, signed a law on Monday to end the national emergency due to the covid-19 virus, as reported by the White House, in a measure that will not affect the end of the public health emergency scheduled for on May 11.

A White House official downplayed the impact of the bill, saying ending the emergency “does not affect our ability to reduce health guidance in an orderly manner.”

The bill to end the national emergency passed the Senate last month in a bipartisan 68-23 vote and passed the House earlier this year with 11 Democrats crossing party lines to vote for it. the joint resolution.

“Since Congress voted to end the National Emergency ahead of schedule, the Administration has worked to expedite its withdrawal and provide as much advance notice as possible to potentially affected individuals,” the official said, adding that the country is in a “different place” than it was in January.

In recent months, the administration has been reducing the number of health guidelines, the official said.

The official said that “to be clear, the end of the National Emergency will not affect the planned reduction of the Public Health Emergency on May 11,” which allowed the government to provide many Americans with COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines. for free, as well as offering increased social safety net benefits, to help the nation cope with the pandemic and minimize its impact, as previously reported.

“But since Congress decided to undo the national emergency ahead of schedule, we’ve been working with agencies to address the consequences of ending the declaration early,” the official said.

The White House had stated its strong opposition to the bill, but said the president would ultimately sign it if it reached his desk. The White House had planned to end both emergencies by May 11.

— ‘s Jack Forrest contributed to this report.