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On Thursday, President-elect Joe Biden said he will ask Americans to commit to 100-days of wearing masks as one of his first acts as president. He is stopping just short of the nationwide mandate he’s pushed before to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The recent move marks a major shift from President Donald Trump whose own skepticism of mask-wearing has contributed to a politicization of the issue. It has 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 at least 275,000 Americans since it began. Biden has frequently emphasized mask-wearing as a patriotic duty and during the campaign floated the idea of instituting a nationwide mask mandate.

Point to be noted that Biden later acknowledged it would be beyond the ability of the President to enforce. He was speaking with CNN’s Jake Tapper and said he would make the request of Americans on Inauguration Day, 20^th Jan 2021. Biden said, “On 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, just 100-days. And I think we’ll see a significant reduction in the virus”. He also said he asked Dr. Anthony Fauci to stay on in his administration in the exact same role he’s had for the past several presidents. So, he will remain the director of the National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases.

Dr. Fauci will also remain the nation’s top infectious-disease expert. President-elect said he’s asked Fauci to be a ‘chief medical adviser’ as well as part of his COVID-19 advisory team. He said he would be happy to get inoculated in public to assuage any concerns about its efficacy and safety regarding a coronavirus vaccine. It is important that 3 former US Presidents including Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton have said they’d also get vaccinated publicly to show that it’s safe. Biden also said, “People have lost faith in the ability of the vaccine to work, it matters what a president and the vice president do”.