As public health emergency ends, pandemic-era support programs have already been fading away

By ASHRAF KHALIL
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The formal end of the national Public Health Emergency on Thursday is largely a symbolic and psychological step, representing the country’s formal emergence from the COVID-19 pandemic. But behind the scenes, several core aspects of America’s pandemic-era emergency safety net are also coming to a close, from extra food assistance to automatic enrollment in Medicaid. While these measures were always designed to be temporary, their expiration is inevitably producing hardship and confusion.