Dubai Telegraph - US to lift Covid emergencies - what happens next?

EUR -
AED 3.896782
AFN 71.970942
ALL 98.005181
AMD 410.245014
ANG 1.910392
AOA 969.150107
ARS 1058.535585
AUD 1.625105
AWG 1.911243
AZN 1.804916
BAM 1.952226
BBD 2.140282
BDT 126.668083
BGN 1.954125
BHD 0.39988
BIF 3130.34894
BMD 1.060918
BND 1.418709
BOB 7.350404
BRL 6.098794
BSD 1.060009
BTN 89.509273
BWP 14.421276
BYN 3.468912
BYR 20793.984215
BZD 2.136589
CAD 1.480871
CDF 3043.772641
CHF 0.937002
CLF 0.037907
CLP 1045.969635
CNY 7.661842
COP 4706.760764
CRC 542.432423
CUC 1.060918
CUP 28.114315
CVE 110.062449
CZK 25.385671
DJF 188.763289
DKK 7.459582
DOP 63.876059
DZD 141.570939
EGP 52.207642
ETB 131.000325
FJD 2.400856
GBP 0.832847
GEL 2.906642
GHS 17.277204
GMD 75.853327
GNF 9135.746941
GTQ 8.190926
GYD 221.749817
HKD 8.252734
HNL 26.751282
HTG 139.425239
HUF 411.004238
IDR 16737.512871
ILS 3.989583
INR 89.539798
IQD 1388.583814
IRR 44669.934186
ISK 147.520817
JMD 168.439542
JOD 0.752299
JPY 164.527633
KES 137.06364
KGS 91.448653
KHR 4295.439124
KMF 488.419938
KRW 1493.349953
KWD 0.326234
KYD 0.883299
KZT 526.01683
LAK 23242.540542
LBP 94922.679318
LKR 309.967089
LRD 199.802298
LSL 19.152137
LTL 3.132613
LVL 0.641738
LYD 5.135839
MAD 10.515649
MDL 18.974154
MGA 4955.161109
MKD 61.501816
MMK 3445.818857
MOP 8.49301
MRU 42.123861
MUR 50.064526
MVR 16.402021
MWK 1837.721918
MXN 21.861851
MYR 4.72746
MZN 67.819132
NAD 19.151596
NGN 1778.681478
NIO 39.010598
NOK 11.769899
NPR 143.222523
NZD 1.790898
OMR 0.408483
PAB 1.059939
PEN 4.005911
PGK 4.258364
PHP 62.296049
PKR 294.599601
PLN 4.351472
PYG 8282.226373
QAR 3.864488
RON 4.975918
RSD 116.986352
RUB 103.700317
RWF 1454.705134
SAR 3.986063
SBD 8.859994
SCR 14.916358
SDG 638.142533
SEK 11.580918
SGD 1.420892
SLE 24.18896
SOS 605.819355
SRD 37.381452
STD 21958.851549
SVC 9.275193
SZL 19.142853
THB 36.855747
TJS 11.267165
TMT 3.713211
TND 3.332367
TOP 2.48477
TRY 36.47689
TTD 7.203151
TWD 34.468683
TZS 2825.997726
UAH 43.903187
UGX 3894.795581
USD 1.060918
UYU 44.68818
UZS 13571.98253
VES 47.606636
VND 26894.260197
XAF 654.789004
XCD 2.867183
XDR 0.798576
XOF 654.789004
XPF 119.331742
YER 264.990671
ZAR 19.19911
ZMK 9549.525686
ZMW 28.858523
ZWL 341.615022
  • CMSC

    -0.1800

    24.54

    -0.73%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0500

    7.11

    -0.7%

  • BCC

    -2.0100

    141.13

    -1.42%

  • SCS

    0.0200

    13.67

    +0.15%

  • RBGPF

    59.3400

    59.34

    +100%

  • RIO

    -1.4000

    61.2

    -2.29%

  • NGG

    -1.2400

    62.9

    -1.97%

  • JRI

    -0.3000

    13.22

    -2.27%

  • BTI

    0.0900

    35.24

    +0.26%

  • GSK

    -0.8300

    35.52

    -2.34%

  • VOD

    -0.8500

    8.47

    -10.04%

  • RELX

    -1.2100

    46.59

    -2.6%

  • BCE

    -0.1600

    27.69

    -0.58%

  • CMSD

    -0.2100

    24.75

    -0.85%

  • BP

    -0.7600

    28.16

    -2.7%

  • AZN

    0.4000

    65.19

    +0.61%

US to lift Covid emergencies - what happens next?
US to lift Covid emergencies - what happens next? / Photo: Frederic J. BROWN - AFP

US to lift Covid emergencies - what happens next?

With US Covid-19 deaths averaging 500 a day, down from a peak of more than 3,000 two years ago, the White House plans to end national and public health emergencies on May 11.

Text size:

A public health emergency in response to the pandemic was declared under former president Donald Trump in January 2020 and has been renewed every 90 days since then.

Trump declared a national emergency in March 2020 and it was renewed by President Joe Biden.

More than 1.1 million Americans have died of Covid -- but life has been gradually returning to normal as the pandemic eases and vaccination levels approach 70 percent of the population.

A lifting of the national and public health emergencies will have a number of impacts:

- Why May 11? -

The Biden administration announced the May 11 date in response to an attempt by Republicans in Congress to pass the "Pandemic is Over Act" that would declare an immediate end to the public health emergency.

"An abrupt end to the emergency declarations would create wide-ranging chaos and uncertainty throughout the health care system," the White House said on Monday.

"Tens of millions of Americans could be at risk of abruptly losing their health insurance, and states could be at risk of losing billions of dollars in funding," it said.

The White House said an orderly transition period was needed to ensure that millions of low-income Americans on the government's Medicaid program continue to receive coverage.

- Free testing, treatments and vaccines -

Under the public emergency declaration, millions of Americans have received free Covid tests, treatments such as antivirals and vaccinations.

Private insurance will still pay for vaccinations as will Medicaid and Medicare, government health insurance for the elderly.

But group health plans and individual health insurance plans will no longer be required to cover the costs of eight at-home Covid tests a month and certain treatments.

Some individuals on Medicare and Medicaid, depending on the state, may also have to pay something out of pocket for testing and treatment.

- Mandates -

The end of the national and public health emergencies will not have an impact on mask or vaccination mandates which have been regulated at the state or local level.

It will also not affect school or business operations.

- Title 42 -

The lifting of the public health emergency would also end the Trump-era border policy that allows for swift expulsion of undocumented migrants back to Mexico without giving them the opportunity to apply for asylum.

The White House has said it wants to end the policy, known as Title 42, and replace it with a different legal mechanism for controlling the flow of would-be immigrants, but that it needs time to do this.

Ending the emergency "precipitously" will "result in a substantial additional inflow of migrants," it said.

S.Saleem--DT