Sanders, Biden call for national unity in fight against coronavirus
The top two Democratic presidential cꦫandidates — Jo🧸e Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders — laid out similar plans to combat coronavirus Thursday, calling for more testing and an expansion of paid leave to help working families affected by the dramatic economic cutbacks.
The pair also criticized President Trump’s handling 𒐪of the crisis and promised to grant more authority to their top health experts and technocrꦉats if elected.
“We will lead with science, listen to the experts, will heed their advice,” the former vice president said during a speech in Wilmington, Del. “We’ll build American leadership and rebuild it to rally the world to meet the global threats that we are likely to face again.”
Both presidential hopefuls spoke of the need for the country to come together to battle the virus and look out for those who are most at risk physically a🔯nd financially.
“Now is the time for solidarity,” Sanders said in his hometown of Burlington, Vt. “Now is the time to come together with love and compassion for all, including the most vulnerable people in our society.”
Sanders spoke just hours after Biden’s speech and less than 24 hours after Trump delivered a prime-time address to the nation from the Oval Office.
Trump annou🐻nced that beginning Friday, the US will suspend travel from most Europe💝an countries — including Germany, France and the Netherlands — for 30 days and Americans returning home will be carefully screened.
Biden hit back at Trump’s travel plan as ineffective.
“Banning all travel from Europe or any other part of the world may slow it, but as we’ve seen, it will not stop it. And travel restrictions based on favoritism and politics rather than risk will be counterproductive,” he said.
Sanders and Biden called ꩲfor financial assistance for workers and small business owners who have to take time off work becaus🍃e they are ill or because they are taking care of a sick family member.
The Democratic duo also backed paid leave.
They also said the health-care sy👍stem should be bolstered and the government working with the private sector should ensure that doctors, nurses and health-✃care providers have the necessary supplies and equipment to protect themselves and care for their patients.
The two contenders faulted the Trump administration for a delay in testing Americans for the virus and said c🌠reating testing kits should be accelerated and when they are available offered free of charge to anyone who wants to be tested.
With Post wires