MSNBC contributor Charlie Sykes reacted negatively Tuesday to reports of the Biden administration’s planned measures to fight any potential winter spread of the coronavirus, calling the reported measures “nuts” and suggesting they would go too far.
According to The Washington Post, President Biden is expected to announce Thursday that everyone entering the U.S. would have to be tested for the coronavirus one day before boarding their flights, regardless of their country of origin or their vaccination status.
Officials are also considering having all individuals take an additional test within three to five days of arrival, and requiring everyone, including U.S. citizens, to self-quarantine for seven days, even if their test result was negative.
“Fully vaccinated. Negative test… but still quarantined and subject to fines? I’m pro vax, pro mandates. Pro social distancing. But this is nuts,” Sykes wrote on Twitter.
Sykes, editor-in-chief of The Bulwark, strongly supported Biden’s election in 2020 and frequently appears on MSNBC’s left-wing opinion shows to blast Republicans.
The reported measures come as concerns across the globe grow over the new omicron variant of the coronavirus, with a number of cases now being reported across all five major continents.
Speaking from the White House on Monday, Biden, seemingly in contrast with the seriousness of the potential new measures, stressed the new variant was “a cause of concern, not a cause of panic.”
If the measures are implemented as reported, they would be some of the strictest travel measures imposed on Americans since the start of the pandemic.
The most recent Fox News polling shows Biden underwater when it comes to his handling of the pandemic, with 48% of respondents saying they approve his handling and 49% saying they disapprove.
