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President Biden delivered first prime-time address of his presidency tonight

Joe Biden
Posted at 7:15 PM, Mar 08, 2021
and last updated 2021-03-11 20:38:53-05

President Joe Biden delivered his first prime-time address of his presidency tonight at 8 p.m. ET, which will mark the one-year anniversary of when the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic.

Watch replay here:

March 11, 2020, was a consequential day in the US for the battle against the coronavirus, as some governors began ordering the closure of non-essential businesses. The day also marked when the NBA had its first confirmed positive coronavirus case, forcing the league to suspend play for nearly four months.

March 11, 2020, was also the one and only time that President Donald Trump delivered a prime-time address about the coronavirus, announcing that the US was suspending non-essential travel between the United States and much of Europe.

While coronavirus testing largely was unavailable, the virus was essentially circulating through the nation undetected. Within days, non-essential businesses from coast-to-coast were closed and non-essential travel mostly ceased.

Since then, more than 500,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus and millions have been hospitalized. The virus also prompted a sudden thump to the economy, resulting in the highest unemployment rate since the Great Depression.

On Monday, the CDC issued updated coronavirus guidance, specifically for the growing number of Americans who have become fully vaccinated from the coronavirus. The guidance still calls on mask wearing, but that those who are fully vaccinated can safely hold small gatherings with each other without the need for masks.