In an interview with CNN on Thursday, President-elect Joe Biden said he will ask all Americans to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus by wearing a mask for 100 days.
Speaking to CNN’s Jake Tapper in an exclusive interview, Biden said he would issue a “standing order” to require masks in federal buildings and on all interstate transportation. The move is a stark contrast to President Donald Trump, who refused to require the public to wear masks.
“Just 100 days to mask, not forever. 100 days. And I think we’ll see a significant reduction,” he said.
Biden also told CNN that he spoke to Dr. Anthony Fauci and asked him to stay on as the government’s top infectious disease expert in the Biden administration. Fauci is the director at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a role he’s held since the Reagan administration.
“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 said.
The President-elect went on to say he would be “happy” to take the coronavirus vaccine publicly once Fauci approves it and says it is safe in order to ensure confidence.
This comes as former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama all said they would also take it publicly.
“That’s the moment in which I will stand before the public” and get the vaccine, Biden said. “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 full interview with President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will air tonight at 9 p.m. ET on CNN with Jake Tapper.
