Passengers flying to the US will be tested for COVID-19 before boarding a flight into the country, and they would need to undergo quarantine upon arrival, US President Joe Biden has announced.

Unveiling his national strategy to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, Biden, during his remarks at the White House, said this strategy was created in response to address the past administration’s failure to act with ‘the urgency and focus and coordination we needed’.

“In light of the new COVID variants that we are learning about we are instituting new measures for individuals flying into the US from other countries. In addition to wearing masks everyone flying to the US from another country will need to test before they depart and quarantine when they arrive in America,” Biden said while announcing a raft of measures aimed at containing the spread of COVID-19.

The US President also signed several executive orders to combat the pandemic, including setting up a pandemic testing board and keeping workers safe. He reassured Americans that restoring “public trust” is a top priority of his administration to fight the coronavirus pandemic. However, he added that the death toll from COVID-19 in the US is likely to top 5,00,000 next month.

“Things are going to continue to get worse before they get better. The memorial we held two nights ago will not be our last one, unfortunately. The death toll will likely top 500,000 next month. And the cases will continue to mount. We did not get into this mess overnight, and it is going to take months for us to turn things around. But let me be equally clear, we will get through this. We will defeat this pandemic. And to a nation waiting for action, let me be the clearest on this point: help is on the way,” he said.

“Above all, our plan is to restore public trust. We will make sure that scientists and public health experts will speak directly to you,” Biden said. He called his plan to tackle the coronavirus pandemic a wartime undertaking.

“Our national plan launches a full-scale wartime effort to address the supply shortages by ramping up production and protective equipment, syringes, needles…you name it,” Biden said.