Just this past week, President-elect Joe Biden spoke with CNN, says that he would be asking Americans to wear masks for his first 100 days in office. This is a clear sign that the response to the virus will be vastly different than the Trump administration’s response.
Biden said in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, “Just 100 days to mask, not forever. 100 days. And I think we’ll see a significant reduction.”
For places that Biden has control or authority, such as federal buildings, airports, and public transportation, masks will be a mandate. The CDC still says that wearing masks can help protect the people wearing them and others around them from transmitting or receiving the virus.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was the first man on the list for Biden’s chief medical adviser. He now says that Fauci will be the lead figure on his COVID-19 response team when he finally takes office at the beginning of next year.
Fauci had recently planned a meeting with Biden’s transition team this past week. Biden told CNN’s Jake Tapper, “I asked him to stay on the exact same role 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 also noted that his incoming chief of staff, Ron Klain, had been talking to Fauci for quite some time already and knew him very well.
It is no mystery that Biden and Trump have drastically conflicting views about the virus, as it was an issue that came to light many times throughout the presidential debates. Trump has rebelled against several Coronavirus recommendations given to him by medical experts and his own administration.
Trump never sought to make masks a part of the procedure while Biden meticulously followed Coronavirus guidelines throughout the campaign. The backlash from Trump against the virus has made for an internal struggle with Fauci and the administration over the past year. In many ways, Fauci became the center of attention for the public.
The left views Fauci as a hero for his loyalty to science, even in the wake of the dangerous Trump administration. However, the right view him as a villain looking to take away their rights.
Biden’s plan has been described as a plan of balance. He wants to ensure that Americans have a safe path to the vaccine without having to shut down the economy once more. He also noted that, once the vaccine gets the okay from Fauci, he will be happy to get it publicly to demonstrate his confidence.
“People have lost faith in the ability of the vaccine to work. Already the numbers are really staggeringly low, and it matters what the President and Vice President do.”
The comments from Biden come just a few days after George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama, said that they would also publicly receive the vaccine to set an example for the American public.
