The President outlined his hopes for a return to normalcy.

On Tuesday night, United States President Joe Biden gave his very first State of the Union address. During his speech, he spoke on a variety of topics, from the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine to the importance of lessening economic divides. Of course, such a speech could not go without discussion on the still-ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. COVID cases in the United States are on a noticeable downward trend, though they are not gone entirely; an estimated 1,600 Americans are still dying of COVID or COVID-related complications daily.

Even so, Biden believes that the pandemic will reach a manageable point in the near future, and hopes that US citizens can at least begin dialing back the safety precautions.

“Thanks to the progress we have made this past year, COVID-19 need no longer control our lives,” Biden said, acknowledging that the past two years have left Americans “tired, frustrated, and exhausted.”

To aid in officially getting the virus down to endemic status, the Biden Administration will be distributing more free COVID tests, as well as COVID antiviral pills for those who test positive for the virus. “We’re launching the ‘Test to Treat’ initiative so people can get tested at a pharmacy, and if they’re positive, receive antiviral pills on the spot at no cost,” he said.

Biden also called for what he referred to as a “bipartisan reset” in the hopes that the polarizing issues of the pandemic can be put aside and both ends of the political spectrum can resume focus on more important matters. “We can’t change how divided we’ve been. But we can change how we move forward – on Covid-19 and other issues we must face together,” he said.