Biden To Ask Americans To Wear Masks In Public For His First 100 Days In Office To Prevent COVID-19 Spread

On Tuesday, President-elect Joe Biden revealed three goals for his first 100 days as president, in terms of responding to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Biden is taking on the goals of administering 100 million people with the coronavirus vaccine, requiring mask mandates where he’s able and putting students back in school.

These goals might seem reasonable when comparing the Untied States to other countries, some of which are no longer quarantining, but in a country where wearing a mask and social distancing makes some believe their rights are being infringed upon, Biden has a long way to go in terms of finding success.

“I’m absolutely convinced that in 100 days we can change the course of this disease and change life in America for the better,” said Biden. He urged Congress to provide more resources nationwide in order to allow for the 100 million vaccinations by April.

“Developing a vaccine is only one herculean task,” Biden said. “Distributing a vaccine is another herculean task. We need Congress to finish the bipartisan work now or else millions of Americans will wait months longer for the vaccine.”

While President Donald Trump has stated that the country’s entire population, 330 million, will be able to be vaccinated by next summer, there has not been an estimated timeline of how many people would be vaccinated each month, as well as how the vaccination would be administered.

Biden urged citizens to wear a mask, and explained that he would be making it a requirement in federal buildings, as well as in public transportation.

“I’m going to speak directly to the American people and say what I’m saying now: We need your help. Wear masks for just 100 days,” said Biden.

He also reiterated the importance of getting children back to in-person schools, referring to it as a “national priority.” Experts on the virus have stated that in-person classes are not hotspots for the spread of the virus, and keeping children in online school is detrimental to their learning.

Biden shared that he had discussed his ideas surrounding COVID with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s infectious disease expert, before finalizing his plans.

“My first 100 days won’t end the COVID-19 virus. I can’t promise that,” he said. “But we did not get in this mess quickly. We’re not going to get out of it quickly.”