What time is Joe Biden’s speech today, Wednesday, January 19?

PRESIDENT Joe Biden is holding a press conference today, only a day before the one-year anniversary of his inauguration.

The conference comes on the same day The White House’s new website offering free Covid tests goes live.

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What time is Joe Biden speaking today?

For the tenth time since taking office, President Joe Biden is holding an extended solo press conference in front of 30 reporters in the East Room at The White House.

The conference will take place at 4pm ET on January 19 and comes as his approval ratings are down to 44 percent from the initial 60 percent approval he received when he took office.

The president’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal resulted in a drop in support and this approval rating hasn’t recovered since.

He is now struggling to gain support for his Build Back Better legislative agenda and curb the spread of the Covid-19 Omicron variant which now accounts for 73 percent of cases, according to the CDC website.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki announced on Friday that Biden would be holding the press conference on January 19 and said, “The president looks forward to speaking directly to the American people.”

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What is Joe Biden expected to talk about?

As tensions run high on the Russia-Ukraine border, Biden is expected to address the fear that Moscow may invade their Ukrainian neighbor.

It is likely that Biden will be questioned about the United State’s plans to assist, should war break out.

The UK’s Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radaki said Russia’s buildup of troops at Ukraine’s border shows “The significance of the worst scenarios in terms of a full-scale invasion would be on a scale not seen in Europe since the Second World War.”

Read our Joe Biden live blog for the very latest news and updates…

The White House has warned Russia that although they will consider a diplomatic solution, they are prepared to take more drastic action should the need arise.

Biden is expected to provide more details during his press conference as to what those actions might be.

The president will also address other major concerns including inflation as costs rose by seven percent in December and are continuing on an upward trajectory.

Inflation has reached its highest peak in 39 years, affecting the cost of cars, rent, and food, driven upward by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The press conference is also likely to address Biden’s handling of the surge in Omicron cases and he will answer questions about his Build Back Better agenda that has still not been passed by congressional leaders.

The Build Back Better agenda would provide a social safety net for children and senior citizens, create more middle-class jobs, mitigate climate change, and increase taxes on the wealthy and large businesses.

What are the current Covid-19 protocols in the US?

The protocols to prevent Covid-19 infection vary on a state-by-state basis with some, like New York, requiring masks in public spaces where vaccination is not required, while others, like Florida, don’t have any mask mandates in place.

However, federal mandates have continued since the Covid-19 outbreak started in 2020 including mandatory face coverings on planes, trains, and buses and antigen testing before international flights.

The mask mandate on airlines was set to expire on September 13, 2021, and was extended until January 18, 2022.

However, the appearance of the Omicron variant prompted the Federal Government to extend the mask mandate for the second time which is currently set to lift on March 18, 2022.

If a traveler refuses to wear a face covering, they face charges ranging from a minimum of $500 to up to $3,000 for repeat offenders.

Although Covid-19 cases are still being reported, Biden and other health officials say the Omicron surge has peaked, and the WHO says it is likely the pandemic will move into an endemic by the end of this year if people continue to get vaccinated.

An endemic means the virus is here to stay, but can now be treated with medication and annual booster shots, like the flu.

Dr. Amesh Adalja, of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told WBAL that doctors are getting to the point where they have the tools and knowledge to “keep people out of the hospital.”

“There will still be flare-ups and hotspots that occur,” he said. “But they won’t be of the same caliber, they won’t be of the same alarm.”