Silke Jasso
While Health experts have agreed that face masks can help prevent the spread of COVID-19, local and state governments have varied on the implementation of all mask rules. Presidential Nominee Joe Biden wants to change those rules. Biden’s office released plans that his administration intends to implement at the beginning of his term, which includes an executive order for a national mask mandate by working with mayors and governors.
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Although most states already do have some type of mask mandate, some have no statewide rule leaving it as a recommendation or giving the authority to local officials. Over the past week, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is the government’s top infectious disease specialist, and Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration under President Donald Trump, have stated it is time American people take COVID-19 seriously by considering a national mandate to curb the spread of the virus. The states with no statewide mask requirement include Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wyoming.
Joe Biden Pushes for Mask Mandates Nationwide
Joe Biden's office has released plans his administration intends to implement in the beginning of his term. One is a national mask mandate "by working with governors and mayors."
Most states have some type of mask mandate, but some have no statewide rule. https://t.co/6yap1wSWzU
— CNN (@CNN) November 9, 2020
In the speech given by Biden earlier this week, he implored Americans to stop politicizing masks and partake in social distancing. This after President Trump has shown little interest when it comes to wearing a face mask or a face covering since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. At a rally in Arizona, he mocked California’s mask mandate, stating, “You have to eat through the mask.”
Whereas the Democratic president-elect stated, “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 way to start pulling the country together.” Throughout his campaign, Biden spoke of his plans to issue a nationwide mask mandate which could be challenged in court. In October he stated he would go to every governor urging them to issue mask mandates.
Donald Trump on Face Masks
“In California you have a special mask, you cannot under any circumstances take it off. You have to eat through the mask.”@realDonaldTrump claimed during a MAGA rally in Bullhead City, Arizona pic.twitter.com/lrezyqPY1R
— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) October 28, 2020
He noted that if they refuse he would go to mayors and county executives and get local masking requirements in place nationwide. Several studies by public health experts have shown that the most effective way to stop the person-to-person spread of COVID-19 is by wearing a face mask or a face covering after the virus is mainly airborne. Several researchers in Texas and California, wrote back in June, noting, “Wearing of face masks in public corresponds to the most effective means to prevent interhuman transmission, and this inexpensive practice, in conjunction with simultaneous social distancing, quarantine, and contact tracing, represents the most likely fighting opportunity to stop the Covid-19 pandemic, prior to the development of a vaccine.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends washing your hands often, wear a face mask, partake in social distancing, avoid close contact with other people, cover your coughs and sneezes, and clean and disinfect frequently. As of November 11, there have been 10,614,103 coronavirus cases and 246,362 coronavirus deaths in the United States.
