Administration Plans End Date to COVID-19 Emergency Declarations

On Monday, January 30, the Administration informed Congress that it intends to end both the public health emergency and national emergency declarations for COVID-19 on May 11.
The information came in the form of a statement of administration policy document, which the White House typically issues in response to legislation under consideration in Congress. This statement was issued in response to legislation dealing with the emergency declarations. It states that:

“The COVID-19 national emergency and public health emergency (PHE) were declared by the Trump Administration in 2020. They are currently set to expire on March 1 and April 11, respectively. At present, the Administration’s plan is to extend the emergency declarations to May 11, and then end both emergencies on that date. This wind-down would align with the Administration’s previous commitments to give at least 60 days’ notice prior to termination of the PHE.”

As a refresher, the PHE is separate from the national emergency for COVID-19. The public health emergency is declared and periodically renewed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The national emergency is declared by the President and is open ended. The testing coverage requirement is tied to the public health emergency while the Timeline Extension Rule is tied to the national emergency.
 

Read the full text of the statement of administration policy.