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US President-elect Joe Biden has said that he and a group of top US governors agreed to a national mask mandate after he takes office in January, as the country is experiencing a surge in COVID- infections. 19.
Speaking to a group of top US state governors on Thursday, Biden said that wearing masks to prevent the possible spread of the new coronavirus, which has killed more than 250,000 Americans to date, “is not a political statement.”
“It’s a patriotic duty,” said Biden, who won the US presidential election on November 3, whose results are still being questioned by President Donald Trump and his supporters.
The United States has recorded 11.6 million COVID-19 cases and more than 250,000 deaths since the pandemic began earlier this year, Johns Hopkins University reported.
The number of new cases is rising rapidly across the country to an average of more than 162,000 per day, according to data compiled by The New York Times, and several states in recent weeks have instituted restrictions aimed at stopping the spread of infections.
Speaking to the media, the president-elect of the United States outlined the political priorities in his plan to defeat COVID-19 [Tom Brenner/Reuters]
Biden said he does not intend to force a national shutdown of the US economy, but expects to see limited restrictions based on specific local conditions.
“It is not closing. It’s calibrated based on what the threat is, ”Biden said during a press conference after his meeting with the top 10 Republican and Democratic governors.
Biden met virtually with members of the executive committee of the National Governors Association, which includes Republican governors Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, Gary Herbert of Utah, Larry Hogan of Maryland and Kay Ivey of Alabama.
It was the first time since the election that Biden publicly met with Republican officials.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, Jared Polis of Colorado and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan also joined the call along with members of Biden’s presidential transition team.
Economic relief
Providing financial assistance to cities, states and tribal communities affected by the pandemic is a top priority, said Biden, who also asked the United States Congress to provide funding for states and localities in a COVID-19 relief bill .
So far, Trump and Senate Republicans have opposed such funding.
Biden said a major public education campaign would also be necessary to prepare Americans for the “equitable” distribution of a “safe” and “free” vaccine.
Several US states have seen an increase in COVID-19 infections in recent weeks, prompting them to put in new restrictions. [File: Kathy Willens/AP]
Meanwhile, the president-elect criticized Trump for refusing to acknowledge the election result, calling the president’s baseless attacks on electoral practices in key states “irresponsible.”
The public is “witnessing incredible irresponsibility, incredibly damaging messages to the rest of the world about how democracy works,” Biden said. “Most of the Republicans I’ve talked to, including some of the governors, think this is debilitating. Send a horrible message. “
He also expressed constant frustration that Emily Murphy, the Trump administration’s general services administration secretary, has yet to designate him as the apparent winner of the election, which would allow a formal transition process under the law to proceed.
“Until she does that, we won’t have access to all the information that we need from all the different agencies,” Biden said.
Planned national response
Still, Biden said his advisory board would be following up with COVID-19 teams in the governor’s offices to further develop a national response to the pandemic.
He also said that, as president, he would work to help states fight the pandemic.
“Now, coming into the holidays, he faces another increase … which includes enormous pressure on his hospitals,” Biden told governors, according to a report from the group. “You need help. I want you to know that I will be your partner in the White House.”
Several states have enacted new restrictions in recent weeks to try to stop the spread of the virus.
Following a sharp increase in the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Arkansas, for example, Governor Asa Hutchinson announced Thursday that he would require bars and restaurants to begin closing every day at 11 p.m. through January 2021.
“Today we implemented the first recommendation of the COVID-19 Winter Task Force, and tomorrow I will address hospital capacity,” Hutchinson said in a statement.
Arkansas has nearly 17,000 active COVID-19 cases with more than 400 new cases being added each day, and state health authorities said 146 people in hospitals were currently on respirators.
The main US public health agency, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also urged Americans on Thursday to avoid travel for Thanksgiving on November 26 to prevent the spread. of the deadly virus.
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