The US national emergency to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic has ended as President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan congressional resolution to bring it to a close after three years.

The national emergency allowed the government to take sweeping steps to respond to the virus and support the country's economic, health and welfare systems.

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Some of the emergency measures have already been successfully wound-down, while others are still being phased out. The public health emergency - it underpins tough immigration restrictions at the US-Mexico border - is set to expire on May 11.

The White House issued a one-line statement on Monday saying Biden had signed the measure behind closed doors, after having publicly opposed the resolution though not to the point of issuing a veto.

More than 197 Democrats in the House voted against it when the GOP-controlled chamber passed it in February. Last month, as the measure passed the Senate by a 68-23 vote, Biden let lawmakers know he would sign it.
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The administration said once it became clear that Congress was moving to speed up the end of the national emergency it worked to expedite agency preparations for a return to normal procedures.

More than 1.13 million people in the US died from COVID-19 over the past three years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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