Joe Biden said he had asked Anthony Fauci to remain in his post.
Washington, United States:
US President-elect Joe Biden said Thursday that he had asked the government’s top infectious disease specialist, Anthony Fauci, to remain in office and join his Covid-19 team after he takes office.
“I asked him to stay in exactly the same role that he had during the past presidents,” Biden said in an interview with CNN, referring to the expert that outgoing President Donald Trump had suggested he would fire after the election.
“And I asked him to also be my chief medical advisor and to be part of the Covid team.”
Biden also said that on his first day in office he would ask Americans to wear masks for 100 days to help reduce transmission of the virus that is increasing again in a country with the highest number of deaths and infections in the world.
“I’m going to ask the public for 100 days to mask. Only 100 days to mask, not forever,” Biden said in excerpts from the interview, broadcast ahead of the full interview Thursday.
Biden’s approach to the virus contrasts sharply with that of Trump, who downplayed his seriousness, mocked the use of masks and called for reopens despite being hospitalized with Covid-19 itself.
The president-elect said he planned to use government authority whenever possible to issue a “permanent order” for masking in federal buildings, as well as for interstate transportation, including on planes and buses.
To build confidence in vaccines after approval, Biden said he was willing to get vaccinated in public.
The United States has passed 14 million Covid-19 infections, with more than 275,000 deaths.
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