As a presidential candidate, Joe Biden said he would implement a national mask mandate to help curb the spread of COVID-19. Now that he has come out on top in the election, Biden says he is talking to the nation’s governors about implementing mask-wearing mandates.
After speaking with a bipartisan group of governors, Biden told reporters on Thursday, “We discussed the implementation of a national mask mandate.”
“Ten governors, Democrat and Republican, have imposed masking requirements and recognize the need for universal masking. North, south, east, and west,” he added.
Watch the video below:
Biden lays out plan to collaborate with local gov’ts:
— NowThis Impact (@nowthisimpact) November 19, 2020
– Get economic relief to city, states, and tribal communities
– Deliver a safe, equitable, and free vaccine
– Help states with Title 32 funding for the National Guard
– Implement a national mask mandate
– More robust testing pic.twitter.com/rkCMW4OseJ
During the campaign, Biden said he would implement a national mask-wearing mandate. However, there are questions about whether he would have the authority to implement such a mandate.
He has also said he would call governors and mayors throughout the country to implore them to implement mandates at the local level.
Biden is likely to meet resistance to his masking mandate requests. Politico reports that 16 Republican governors have already said they would reject the president-elect’s request that they implement a mask-wearing mandate.
But the resistance may be softening as coronavirus cases surge around the country. Republican governors in Utah and North Dakota have reversed course and implemented mask-wearing mandates.
While he has no authority yet, he already has been imploring Americans to voluntarily wear masks, as IJR reported.
In a speech on Nov. 9, Biden said, “It doesn’t matter who you voted for. Where you stood before election day. It doesn’t matter your party, your point of view. We can save tens of thousands of lives if everyone would just wear a mask for the next few months. Not Democrat or Republican lives, American lives.”
“So, please, I implore you, wear a mask. Do it for yourself. Do it for your neighbor. A mask is not a political statement, but it is a good way to start pulling the country together,” he added.