Biden slams politicisation of COVID-19, says 'It's a virus, not a political weapon'

The US democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden, on October 7, slammed the politicisation of COVID-19 pandemic and urged lawmakers to not use the deadly virus as a ‘political weapon’. In his speech in Gettysburg, Biden, who has been critical of President Donald Trump’s handling of the pandemic, said that wearing a mask or maintaining social distance is not a ‘political statement’ but a ‘scientific recommendation’. He urged people to ‘follow science’ and ‘end politics’ and said ‘we can do so much better’. 

The former vice president said, “Let's end the politics and follow the science. Wearing a mask is not a political statement. It's a scientific recommendation. Social distancing isn't a political statement. It's a scientific recommendation”. 

“Testing, tracing, the development and approval, and the distribution of a vaccine isn't a political statement. It is a science-based decision. We can't undo what has been done. We can't go back. But we can do so much better,” he added. 

Further, the 77-year-old said that the pandemic is not a ‘red or blue state issue’. “It affects us all and can take anyone’s life. It’s a virus and not a political weapon,” he said. Biden also suggested that Trump was among a group of people in the US who had thrown information about the virus into an arsenal of tools to use in ‘total partisan unrelenting warfare’ and that he would, if elected, attempt to heal the political and cultural divides that he hinted the president helped create. 

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Trump administration conflicting message 

Biden’s remarks came a day after Trump left Walter Reed Military National National Medical Center, where he had been hospitalised since Friday after testing positive for the deadly disease. Upon returning to the White House, Trump had immediately taken off his mask to pose for pictures before walking in. In a video, the Republican leader had also suggested that the disease is not that serious of a threat. 

The Trump administration has been providing conflicting messages about mask-wearing over the last five months. While health experts have repeatedly said that everyone should wear a mask to contain the virus, Trump administration’s messages, however, has sown confusion and hampered the country’s response to the pandemic. Trump himself has repeatedly mocked Biden for wearing a mask, including at the first presidential debate last week. 

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