大侠行天下日记 我见我闻我思 0514

晚餐桌上一百万张空椅子

拜登总统命令全国联邦建筑物下半旗追念失去生命的一百万国人，他於週四主持了全球新冠疫情视讯会议， 商讨如何在疫情进入第三年时要如何在全球范围内抵抗病毒。

专家们预测，今年夏秋两季疫情可能会捲土重来 ，拜登总统在一项声明中说， 今天我们遗留下一个悲痛的旅程碑， 因新冠疫情失去了一百万同胞， 在晚餐桌上一百万张空椅子， 新冠疫情让他们永远离开了家庭和社区， 国家也因而永远改变， 我们希望继续增加测试接种疫苗来保护健康，同时要求国会能通过要多之预算来对抗病毒之蔓延。

诚然 过去三年来这塲惨酷的风暴， 改变了我们的世界 ，打乱了全球之生產及供应鍊， 眾多企业因而倒闭 居家生活澈底改变。

更不幸的是 ，由于人之因素 ，乌克兰还在进行激烈战斗 ，近千万人无家可㱕 ，非洲地区乾旱及农產品之减產，可能导致几亿人口之飢饿 ，芬兰瑞典要求加入北约 ，势必增加欧洲大陆情势之紧张 ，看来世界真是永无安寧之日。

今天总统在白宫欢迎东协各国领袖， 希望加强和亚太地区之关係， 但是由于中美两大国关係之不断恶化， 势必增加了更多在亚太地区之复杂和不安。

We Mourn One Million American Deaths From Covid-19

President Biden mourned one million American deaths from Covid-19 and urged Congress to pass additional funding to control the pandemic.

In his statement, President Biden said, “This pandemic isn’t over. Today we mark a tragic milestone here in the United States -- one million Covid deaths. One million empty chairs around the family dinner table. Each irreplaceable. Irreplaceable losses, each leaving behind a family and a community forever changed because of this pandemic. Our hearts go out to all those who are struggling.”

In the proclamation issued on Thursday, the president ordered flags to be flown at half-staff to mark the tragic milestone.

Unfortunately, the fighting still continues in the Ukraine war. And because of the Ukraine war, billions of people around the world are now facing very serious food shortages, including here in America where we are seeing more and more people lining up to ask for food assistance.

Over the last three years many businesses have been struggling and fighting just for survival with the high cost of raw materials.

Today, President Biden also met with a group of leaders from Asian countries to try and help these countries meet their basic needs.

We all hope that today’s challenges can be met soon and that the situation will get better for all of us.