Joe Biden says lockdowns won’t be part of winter Covid plans

President Joe Biden urged Americans to be calm amid news of the new Omicron variant of Covid-19, saying the United States would beat the variant.

The president spoke in an address to the public and to reporters about the US strategy to combat the new variant, which emerged last week.

Biden said the US will beat the variant “not with shutdowns or lockdowns, but with more widespread vaccinations, boosters, testing, and more".

"If people are vaccinated and wear a mask, there’s no need for a lockdown,” he continued.

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