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Joe Biden to ask Americans to wear masks for 100 days
President-elect Joe Biden has said he will ask Americans to wear masks for the first 100 days of his presidency to help fight the continuing spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
President-elect Joe Biden has said he will ask Americans to wear masks for the first 100 days of his presidency to help fight the continuing spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He has also said he had asked Dr Anthony Fauci, the top epidemiologist who was often at odds with President Donald Trump, to stay on as a chief medical adviser. Both Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris spoke to CNN in a joint interview on a wide range of issues ahead of the inauguration day on January 20.
“The first day I’m inaugurated ...I’m going to ask the public for 100 days to mask. Just 100 days to mask, not forever,” Biden said. Masks will be mandated, however, in federal buildings and on public transport.
He expressed hope that vaccinations and masking would drive down Covid numbers considerably. Asked if he had spoken to Fauci and whether he will ask him to stay, Biden said, “Yes and yes. I asked him to stay on in the exact same role as he’s had for the past several presidents, and I asked him to be a chief medical adviser for me as well and be part of the Covid team.”
Biden will join his predecessors Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama to take Covid-19 vaccination publicly to reassure Americans who are sceptical. “It’s important to communicate to the American people it’s safe, safe to do this.”
Harris, meanwhile, has announced an all-female White House team: Tina Flournoy as chief of staff; Rohini Kosoglu, a longtime associate of Sri Lankan descent, as domestic policy advisor; and Nancy McEldowney, a career diplomat, as national security advisor.
There are reports Biden will name Indian American Vivek Murthy to serve as Surgeon General, reappointing him to a position he held in President Barack Obama’s second term. This time, Murthy, who co-chairs Biden’s Covid-19 advisory board, will have a broader mandate. Murthy was in running for secretary of health and human services, but Biden is reportedly looking at Michelle Lujan Grisham, New Mexico’s Hispanic governor.
