President Joe Biden has made combatting COVID-19 the top priority of his administration. Throughout the campaign, he regularly encouraged Americans to wear masks to help stop the spread of the virus.
Now, he is urging all Americans to wear masks for the next 100 days. During an event at the White House on Thursday, Biden said, “Masks have become a partisan issue, unfortunately. But it’s a patriotic act.”
“But for a few months, to wear a mask, no vaccines… the fact is that they’re the single best thing we can do they’re even more important than the vaccines because they take time to work. And if we do this as Americans, the experts say by wearing a mask, from now until April, we’d save more than 50,000 lives,” he continued.
He added, “I’m asking every American to mask up for the next 100 days.”
Watch the video below:
Pres. Biden: "I'm asking every American to mask up for the next 100 days."
— ABC News (@ABC) January 21, 2021
"The experts say by wearing a mask, from now until April, we’d save more than 50,000 lives." https://t.co/kfbFENloYT pic.twitter.com/7UcSaLp4UU
While Biden is asking Americans to voluntarily wear masks for the next three months, he is issuing executive orders to require mask-wearing where he has the authority to do so.
Earlier on Thursday, Biden signed an executive order that would require Americans to wear masks in airports, intercity buses, airplanes, and trains. Additionally, he signed a separate order that requires mask-wearing on federal property.
While former President Donald Trump initially shunned mask-wearing, Biden entered the White House with the goal of encouraging Americans to wear masks by setting the example.
Shortly after he was sworn in as the nation’s 46th president, Biden signed several executive orders in the Oval Office while wearing a mask.
Biden previously said he would challenge Americans to wear masks during his first 100 days, as IJR reported.