President Joe Biden will give a primetime address on Thursday, marking the one-year anniversary of COVID-19 shutdowns, the White House said Monday.
The speech, Biden’s first in primetime as president, will focus on “the many sacrifices the American people have made over the last year and the grave loss communities and families across the country have suffered,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. She said Biden will also “look forward” and discuss getting the country “back to normal.”
Psaki made the announcement as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that vaccinated people may socialize indoors in small groups without preventative measures, after at least two weeks of completing their vaccination regimen.
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Congress, meanwhile, is heading toward approval of Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. The massive bill passed the Senate on Saturday, and the House is planning to vote on it as soon as Tuesday. Visiting a veterans’ center on Monday, Biden said he would sign the bill “as soon as I get it.”
Read: Biden, Democrats prevail as Senate approves $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill that returns to House
Thursday will also mark the one-year anniversary of the World Health Organization’s declaring COVID-19 a pandemic.
