Joe Biden Warns: ‘We May Have to Reinstate Restrictions’ if Americans Don’t ‘Stick with the Rules’

President Joe Biden warned that the U.S. may have to reinstate coronavirus restrictions in a Thursday address marking one year of the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.

While Biden attempted to provide a glimmer of hope, touting the advances the U.S. has made in vaccination distribution and administration, he warned that the U.S. “may have to reinstate restrictions” down the road if people do not remain vigilant, follow “the scientists,” and put “trust and faith” in the government.

“Unity is what we do together as fellow Americans. Because if we don’t stay vigilant and the conditions change, then we may have to reinstate restrictions to get back on track,” Biden said during the Thursday address.

“And please. We don’t want to do that again. We’ve made so much progress. This is not the time to let up. Just as we were emerging from a dark winter into a hopeful spring and summer is not the time to not stick with the rules,” he said, urging Americans to continue to wear masks and follow other protocols.

There is a “good chance” people can gather with their close loved ones in their backyards by Independence Day, Biden said, clarifying that it “doesn’t mean large events with lots of people together.”

“Conditions can change. The scientists have made clear that things may get worse again as new variants of the virus spread,” he warned, urging Americans to “listen to Dr. Fauci” and “keep wearing the mask as recommended by the CDC.”

Notably, Florida, one of the first states to reopen — to the dismay of the establishment media and pro-lockdown Democrat politicians — continues to fare better in terms of new coronavirus cases per capita in the last seven days than restriction-heavy blue states such as New York, per Centers for Disease Control Prevention (CDC) data.

Florida reported 152.8 new cases of the virus per 100,00 in the last seven days, or 32,823 cases total. In comparison, New York, not including New York City, has reported 208.6 cases per 100,000 in the last seven days, or 23,056. Separately, New York City has reported 314.5 new cases per 100,000 in the last seven days, or 26,410 cases total. Combined, New York State, which continues to have a mask mandate in place, has reported over 16,600 more cases than Florida in the last seven days alone.