President Joe Biden and his verified arbiters of The Science cannot decide whether the pandemic is over. Or at least, they are being forced to play it both ways.
The White House plans to overturn Title 42, even though his own administration’s own Department of Homeland Security warns that border crossings could explode to nearly 20,000 migrants daily, any or all of whom will bring COVID. At the same time, the president’s COVID czar is threatening the nation with yet another extension of the federal transportation mask mandate.
Daily coronavirus deaths are at just 17% of the pandemic’s peak rate, which hit just as vaccines were being rolled out in early 2021. And for those fully vaccinated, two-thirds of all American adults, the death rate is one-tenth of that for the unvaccinated. Around the country, people have gone back to a mask-free and normal life.
Yet we’re supposed to believe that the transportation mask mandate, set to expire finally in a week, is too important not to extend?
As for Title 42, this is the public health law invoked by the Trump administration to empower border officials to deport migrants automatically so as to prevent the spread of the virus. This comes despite the fact that border crossings, up 62% from last year and well on pace to set a record, have already overrun migrant holding facilities, which lack the resources to test for COVID or vaccinate large numbers of border-crossers. Last year, Biden officials resorted to an unprecedented escalation of catch and release, releasing migrants without even scheduling court dates and simply making them pinky-promise to check in later. Now, the most vulnerable Democrats up for reelection come November are panicking, warning Biden not to overturn the one remaining Trump-era policy keeping Biden’s border crisis from upgrading to catastrophe.
We are entering year three of COVID. Unvetted migrants are being set loose across the country without so much as a court date — without so much as a negative COVID test, let alone proof of vaccination. Yet the White House wants to keep you masking your toddler just to take an Amtrak? This is not going to go over well in November.
