Biden says he'll ask Americans to wear masks for 1st 100 days he's in office

President-elect Joe Biden is going to make a request to the American people on his first day in office.

During an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper on Thursday, Biden said he will ask Americans to wear masks during his first 100 days, in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus. "Just 100 days to mask, not forever," Biden said. "100 days. And I think we'll see a significant reduction." While many states do have statewide mask mandates, several others, including Alaska, Arizona, and Florida, do not.

Biden told Tapper that he will impose a standing order making masks mandatory in places where he has authority, like federal buildings, and shared that he has asked Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, to also serve as chief medical adviser and a member of Biden's COVID-19 response team once his administration begins.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Over the last day, former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama have all pledged to publicly receive the coronavirus vaccine in order to show it is safe, and Biden said he will be "happy" to do the same, adding that this is something that's "important to communicate to the American people."