US plans to end COVID emergency declarations in May

Los Angeles, Jan 31

The Biden administration has announced it plans to end the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) on May 11.

The COVID-19 national emergency and PHE were declared by the Trump Administration in 2020. They are currently set to expire on March 1 and April 11, respectively.

The Biden Administration's plan is to extend the emergency declarations to May 11, and then end both emergencies on that date, according to a statement of the White House, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The statement came in opposing two House bills that would end the emergency declarations sooner.

The public health and national emergencies have enabled US hospitals to respond more flexibly when faced with patients spikes during COVID-19 surges.

Ending the emergency declaration could have implications for funding for tests and vaccines as well as impact other pandemic-related policies, the National Public Radio (NPR) reported.