President-elect Joe Biden previewed plans to urge all Americans to wear a mask during his first 100 days in office, he told CNN’s Jake Tapper in an interview that airs Thursday night.
Biden had previously said he was considering using executive authority to mandate mask to mitigate the spread of coronavirus, but he told Tapper Thursday that he will instead call on Americans to make the choice for himself during his inaugural address.
“Just 100 days to mask, not forever,” Biden explained. “100 days, and I think we’ll see a significant reduction.” (RELATED: Biden Says He Discussed National Mask Mandate With Governors During Meeting)
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Biden, fresh off his first “substantive” discussion with Dr. Anthony Fauci, added he had asked Fauci to not only remain on in both his roles at the National Institutes of Health and the White House coronavirus task force but serve as a chief medical adviser to the president.
He further pledged to take the coronavirus vaccine produced by President Donald Trump’s Operation Warp Speed “in public” as soon as Fauci deems it safe, echoing comments made by former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton earlier this week.
“I promise you that when it’s been made for people who are less at risk, I will be taking it,” Obama said in a Sirius XM interview that aired Thursday morning. “I may end up taking it on TV or having it filmed, just so that people know that I trust this science, and what I don’t trust is getting Covid.”
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