U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday honoured the memories of Martin Luther King, Jr., late American presidents, COVID-19 victims, and those who contributed to the country’s freedom.

In his message to celebrate the 245th Independence Day anniversary with military families at the White House, Mr Biden also remembered Thomas Jefferson’s contributions, whose words about liberty and equality changed the world.

“And across the Tidal Basin from the Jefferson Memorial, there stands Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. — his arms crossed, his eyes fixed ahead toward the promised land where equality is not only an aspiration but a reality,’’ he said.

“Two hundred forty-five years (ago), we declared our independence from a distant king, but today, we’re closer than ever to declaring our independence from a deadly virus. That’s not to say the battle against COVID-19 is over. We’ve got a lot more work to do,” noted the American leader.

Mr Biden added, “But just as our Declaration in 1776 was not a call to action — was a call to action, not a reason for complacency or a claim of victory — it was a call to action — the same is true today. Back then, we had the power of an idea on our side. Today, we have the power of science.”

The U.S. president said, “Thanks to our heroic vaccine effort, we’ve gained the upper hand against this virus; we can live our lives, our kids can go back to school, our economy is roaring back.”

He said further, “Don’t get me wrong, COVID-19 is — has not been vanquished. We all know powerful variants have emerged, like the Delta variant, but the best defence against these variants is to get vaccinated.”

Mr Biden, however, urged the unvaccinated to do so, saying, “If you haven’t gotten vaccinated, do it — do it now for yourself, for your loved ones, for your community, and for your country.”

(NAN)