Biden delivers COVID-19 orders

President Joe Biden signed 10 new directives on Thursday to fight the pandemic. He ordered the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to launch a program to make vaccines available through local pharmacies starting next month, building on a plan devised by the Trump administration. He also issued executive orders mandating masks for interstate travel, expanding coronavirus tests, and requiring travelers from abroad to test negative and quarantine upon arrival. He told the departments of Education and Health and Human Services to provide clear guidance for reopening schools. States can tap into federal disaster relief funds for help in returning kids to classrooms.

How quickly will the new administration get to work? The Senate on Thursday confirmed Biden’s first Cabinet appointee, Avril Haines, the director of national intelligence. His nominee for secretary of health and human services, Xavier Becerra, likely will not come up for a vote before February. But the new head of the CDC, Rochelle Walensky, does not need Senate confirmation and has already begun her work.

Dig deeper: Read Jamie Dean’s report on Becerra and some of Biden’s other high-profile Cabinet nominees.