Published 13:27 IST, August 24th 2020
Joe Biden sticks to stay-at-home strategy, says 'we’re going to follow the science'
Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden, on August 23, said that he had no plans to begin a more aggressive election campaign amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden, on August 23, said that he had no plans to begin a more aggressive election campaign amid the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking at an interview with an American media outlet together with his running mate Kamala Harris, Biden said that if elected they would surely follow “science” and what the scientists tell them to do.
America which accounts for the largest number of COVID-19 cases has reported 1,76,806 deaths till now. However, President Donald Trump, who has reportedly touted scientifically opposed treatments for the infection, has been campaigning vigorously. Last week, he travelled to Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, luring voters in what has become an electoral battleground.
In contrast, Biden has restricted his campaign travels and avoided crowds since the start of COVID-19. The 77-year-old leader also accepted his electoral nomination virtually from an empty hotel ballroom in Delaware. Trump, who is scheduled to accept his nomination in person in Charlotte, North Carolina has accused Biden of hiding in a “basement”. In response, Biden has accused Trump campaign of spreading the infection. He said that people in this kind of events get together within close proximity without wearing a mask and get COVID-19.
In addendum, Biden also said he would follow public health advisers’ advice if they called for a national shutdown should he take office and the coronavirus had not abated. “I would be prepared to do whatever it takes to save lives. We cannot get the country moving until we control the virus,” Biden said.
US elections
With the US election 2020 just around the corner, the fight between Trump and Biden has grown more intense with a brutal war of words. From Twitter statuses to public addresses, both rivals have made it one of the most divisive elections. The main deciding grounds for this year have emerged to be COVID-19 pandemic handling, racial unjust, and national security. Biden has attempted to ramp-up his campaign by naming the first Black woman to a major presidential ticket, Kamala Harris.
While Trump has said that Biden will let China ‘own’ the US and blamed previous administration policies for the delay in COVID-19 response, the Democratic Presidential Nominee has launched a counter-attack on the same grounds. Biden said if he was in the White House handling the pandemic, he would ‘shut it down’ and would have taken decisions based on the directive given by the scientists.
Updated 13:27 IST, August 24th 2020