Biden urges Americans to be safe during holiday, fight coronavirus pandemic

WILMINGTON, Del - U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday pleaded with Americans to take steps to remain safe as COVID-19 cases surge on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday and pledged again to make combating the pandemic a top priority when he takes office in January.

"I believe you always deserve to hear the truth from your president. We have to slow the growth of this virus. We owe it to the doctors and the nurses and the frontline workers ... We owe it to our fellow citizens," Biden said.

He urged people to forgo big family gatherings, wear protective masks and maintain social distancing.

"I know we can and we will beat this virus," Biden added, acknowledging that Americans are feeling pandemic fatigue. "Life is going to return to normal. I promise you. This will happen. This will not last forever."

The Democratic former vice president has vowed to make tackling COVID-19 a top priority after taking office on Jan. 20, having accused Trump during the campaign of panicking and surrendering in the face of a public health crisis.

"Looking back over our history, you see that it's been the most difficult circumstances that the soul of our nation has been forged. And now we find ourselves again facing a long hard winter," Biden said.

Since winning the Nov. 3 election, Biden has offered a message of national healing and reconciliation after Trump's tumultuous term while the Republic president still refuses to concede and falsely claims the election was stolen.

Public health officials have urged Americans to stay at home for Thursday's holiday and avoid large gatherings that could spread the pathogen. More than 260,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, with the daily toll on Tuesday surpassing 2,000 for the first time since May, as infections and hospitalizations surge nationally.

Millions of Americans have flocked to airports and highways, leading to the busiest U.S. travel period since the early days of the pandemic in March, though well below pre-pandemic holiday levels.

Aides said Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris planned to spend Thanksgiving with their families.