On Thursday, Nov. 12, the United States broke another record with over 160,000 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in one day. This makes the sixth day in a row that the country has broken a record, with daily numbers over 100,000 since last week. This pandemic is not slowing down. With several holidays just weeks away, the nation is bracing for another surge as Americans consider putting their family members at risk for the sake of spending time together. 

We are in desperate need of a leader who will protect the people. With the projected winner of the 2020 election being President-elect Joe Biden, compared to his opponent we have a much better chance of making it out of this pandemic as one nation. 

TRUSTING THE SCIENCE

The experts have been sidelined for too long. Biden is going to do what needs to be done: putting scientists at the helm of his coronavirus response. The incoming Biden-Harris administration has already assembled a diverse team of doctors, professors, government officials and global public health experts to help them develop their plan of action. Addressing the pandemic is priority number one for the president-elect, and that is made clear through his speed in assembling a team and concrete plan.

Under normal, non-pandemic circumstances, we would not trust scientists to run the country. But we are in the middle of a global pandemic where the United States has the most COVID-19 cases in the world. This crisis is out of control, and the only ones who can navigate us to safety are not politicians. We need doctors rather than political leaders who have their own agendas about reopening the country. Science tells us to wear a mask and keep our distance from those outside of our household, and Biden will enforce this because that is the most effective way to stop the spread of COVID-19. He will follow the advice of public health officials and encourage other political leaders to do the same. 

RESURRECTING THE ECONOMY

Although we are eight months into this pandemic, our economy has not returned to pre-pandemic levels of success. In fact, economists project that our economy will not return to normal until 2022. Biden’s plan will ensure that small businesses, as well as middle and the lower class families—those impacted most by this pandemic—will be supported as our economy rises out of this slump. 

However, in order to address the economy, Biden believes the pandemic must be properly controlled first. Millions of jobs were lost at the start of this pandemic, and not all have been restored because this virus is still raging. His plan is to provide the nation with free and easy access to COVID-19 testing and healthcare, in addition to financially supporting those who are still struggling through an economic crisis. 

These investments into equal medical treatment, unemployment and the overall market are expected to come from Biden’s tax strategy. Instead of lending huge tax cuts to corporations, those with an income of $400,000 or more annually—including corporations—will see a rise in taxes, while those under $400,000 will receive tax cuts. This method is expected to be the most efficient in providing jobs and progressing the economy, Wall Street backed Biden during the election with $74 million, the second highest endorsement from Wall Street after Hillary Clinton’s campaign for the 2016 election. 

Biden’s economic system protects the vulnerable, restricts the powerful and adheres to medical reason in order to haul the nation out of a viral and financial emergency. 

ADVOCATING FOR ANTI-RACISM 

The pandemic has revealed and exacerbated the pre-existing racial disparities in our nation to an alarming degree. Black, Brown and Native American communities across America have been ravaged by COVID-19 and are dying at disproportionate rates to white Americans. Biden understands that these inequities are a result of systemic racism and its impact on healthcare, so he has curated a specific plan to “Build Back Better.” The Biden-Harris administration hopes to “boost retirement security and financial wealth for Black, Brown, and Native Families,” and be intentionally equitable as it invests in clean energy.

Asian Americans are not exempt from Biden’s work either. Chinese people have been wrongfully associated with the coronavirus, to the point where Asian Americans feel a heightened sense of xenophobic “othering.” As a result, racist attacks and micro-aggressions against the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities have surged this year, with Asian Americans reporting incidents ranging from online bullying to being spit on to having chemicals thrown at them. Biden has shown that he will be a leader that can recognize this threat against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities and who does not empower hate and violence with his rhetoric.

FOR THE GOOD OF THE COUNTRY AND THE SAKE OF THE PEOPLE

Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures. Biden’s pandemic response initiative not only considers the lives of our endangered nation, but it also salvages the economy and expects to prosper in the years to come. Compassion and science are now at the helm of the White House. This may not be the typical way to run a country, but right now, it is exactly what we need.