PEORIA, Ill. – Is it a good idea for the Biden Administration to end the U.S.’ COVID-19 emergency declarations in May as the rest of the world sees a continued surge in new cases?
Doctor Doug Kasper with the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria says it could be, even though COVID is different for other countries than here.
“For very smaller groups of people, which we’ve identified over time here, and certainly people that may, across the world, have access to vaccines or medical care, COVID remains a significant issue,” said Kasper. “But, when we talk about the United States and talk about it locally, our plan to deal with it has dramatically changed, and will so, going into the spring and summer.”
Kasper tells WMBD’s “The Greg and Dan Show” on the positive side, people wearing masks now has become less and less of a political issues — much like how it has become more commonplace in Asian countries since SARS outbreaks there.
“The use of masks is becoming fairly standard,” said Kasper. “For some people, it’s part of their daily routine — especially with travel or with large outings, if they have some issue they’re worried about. Public health measures as preventative are very important. It’s up to each individual to decide how they would like to approach that with their life.”
Kasper says education about the use of masks can be considered one of the successes of the pandemic.
On Tuesday, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced that the state’s COVID-19 disaster proclamations will also end on May 11, in alignment with the federal government.
