Biden’s 100-day mask-wearing scheme gets support from Trump’s vaccine chief [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• White House Operation Warp Speed chief Moncef Slaoui expressed his support to President-elect Joe Biden’s strategy on his nationwide call to wear masks for 100 days starting on the inauguration day.
• For the first time, Biden settled for a timeline regarding the mask-wearing to fight the spread of COVID-19.
• Dr. Anthony Fauci also supported Biden’s idea but suggested that the mask-wearing mandate should be longer than the suggested timing.

On Sunday, President Donald Trump’s vaccine chief appointee Moncef Slaoui backed President-elect Joe Biden’s plot to urge US residents to wear masks for his first 100 days in office.

During his interview with CNN, the Operation Warp Speed head was asked by Jake Tapper on his thoughts regarding Biden’s mask plan.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Slaoui said. “It’s never too late. This pandemic is ravaging the country. We all need to take our precautions, have our masks, wash our hands, and keep our distance, remain aware that this virus is a killer.”

The vaccine czar continued: “We have a vaccine. There is light at the end of the tunnel. But we will not all have the vaccine in our arms before May or June. So we need to be very cautious and vigilant.”

Throughout the campaign, the former vice president has advocated using of face mask. During his interview last Thursday, though, it was the first time that he placed a timeline.

“Just 100 days to mask, not forever. 100 days. And I think we’ll see a significant reduction,” Biden noted.

Biden may not have the power to enact a nationwide mask mandate, but experts suggest he could influence states to impose mask-wearing policies with the aid of federal funding.

While supporting the President-elect’s plan for Americans to wear masks for his first 100-days in office, lead infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said that people may still need to wear them beyond the prescribed time.

For its part, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention refreshed its COVID-19 recommendations, advocating the indoor use of masks except that when that person is in his/her own home.

In recent days, new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have achieved a new record high. On Friday alone, 228,000 new infections were recorded. According to the COVID Tracking Project, about 101,190 coronavirus patients were being nursed at hospitals that include 19,950 in intensive care units and 7,0005 on ventilators.

During the first five days of December, the US reported over 1 million new COVID-19 cases.

Source: The Hill