On January 7, 2021, Secretary Azar of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services extended the existing public health emergency for 90 days, until April 21, 2021. Without this extension, the declaration would have expired on January 20, 2021:
As a result of the continued consequences of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, on this date and after consultation with public health officials as necessary, I, Alex M. Azar II, Secretary of Health and Human Services, pursuant to the authority vested in me under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act, do hereby renew, effective January 21, 2021, my January 31, 2020, determination, that I previously renewed on April 21, 2020 October 23, 2020, my January 31, 2020, determination, that I previously renewed on April 21, 2020, July 23, 2020, and October 2, 2020, that a public health emergency exists and has existed since January 27, 2020, nationwide.
This extension will mean that the public health emergency will have lasted for a year by the time it expires, and in all likelihood, it will be renewed once more in April.
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