PANDEMIC

Biden: Avoid Public Transportation

Panicky gaffe on 'Today.'

President Obama is telling Americans to stay calm about swine flu, but his vice president appears to not have gotten the memo. "I would tell members of my family, and I have, I wouldn't go anywhere in confined places right now," Joe Biden said this morning on NBC’s Today. Biden said he advises his family to avoid planes, subways, and classrooms because the flu spreads easier in confined spaces. Immediately after his appearance on the show, Biden's spokeswoman said he was echoing administration policy that sick people should avoid confined public spaces. Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano said Biden would include the caveat "if they are feeling sick," if he were to make the statements again.