Among first acts, Biden to call for 100 days of mask-wearing

Joe Biden said Thursday that he will ask Americans to commit to 100 days of wearing masks as one of his first acts as president, stopping just short of the nationwide mandate hes pushed before to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

The move marks a notable shift from President Donald Trump, whose own skepticism of mask-wearing has contributed to a politicisation of the issue. Thats made many people reticent to embrace a practice that public health experts say is one of the easiest ways to manage the pandemic, which has killed more than 275,000 Americans.

The president-elect has frequently emphasised mask-wearing as a patriotic duty” and during the campaign floated the idea of instituting a nationwide mask mandate, which he later acknowledged would be beyond the ability of the president to enforce.

Speaking with CNNs Jake Tapper, Biden said he would make the request of Americans on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20.

On the first day Im inaugurated, Im going to ask the public for 100 days to mask. Just 100 days to mask not forever, just 100 days. And I think well see a significant reduction in the virus, Biden said.

Biden also said he asked Dr Anthony Fauci to stay on in his administration, in the exact same role hes had for the past several presidents, as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the nations top infectious-disease expert.

The president-elect said hes asked Fauci to be a chief medical adviser as well as part of his COVID-19 advisory team.

Regarding a coronavirus vaccine, Biden said hed be happy to get inoculated in public to assuage any concerns about its efficacy and safety. Three former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton have said theyd also get vaccinated publicly to show that its safe.

People have lost faith in the ability of the vaccine to work, Biden said, adding that it matters what a president and the vice president do.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Federal staff and is auto-published from a syndicated feed.)