Here’s what President Biden’s federal mask tenure means to you

Less than a day after being sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, Joe Biden signed executive orders requiring the mask to be worn on federal property, at airports, and on planes, buses and trains in the part of its plan to fight the coronavirus pandemic. that has killed over 400,000 people in the United States.

Biden’s emphasis on the importance of wearing a mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19 marks a significant break with the Trump administration, which has gravely mismanaged the pandemic and recklessly downplayed the effectiveness of the law, against advice from the CDC, scientists and public health. officials.

Biden does not appear to have the legal authority to implement a national mandate that would require all Americans to wear masks at all times, according to CNN. It is up to state and local authorities to dictate mask requirements for residents.

However, as part of his “100 Days Masking Challenge,” Biden signed two decrees mandating the wearing of masks: one for lands and buildings controlled by the federal government, and another for public transportation and ports. entry into the United States.

Federal employees and contractors include members of the National Guard and the armed forces, depending on the order. Federal buildings include federal courthouses, post offices, agencies, and state capitals across the country. The mandate also applies to national parks and federal monuments.

“This executive action will direct agencies to take action to demand compliance with CDC guidelines on mask wearing and physical distancing in federal buildings, on federal lands, and by federal employees and contractors,” Jeff Zients, coordinator of Biden’s COVID-19 response, told CNN.

“And the president will call on governors, public health officials, mayors, business leaders and others to implement masking, physical distancing and other public measures to control COVID-19,” he said Zients said.

On Thursday, Biden signed another executive order requiring masks to be worn at airports and on planes, trains, buses and ferries.

The order came as a relief for U.S. airline officials and flight attendants who, for months, had to deal with verbal slurs from unruly passengers, many of whom thought COVID-19 was a hoax and refused. to wear masks on planes.

Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, urged the Trump administration to impose masks at airports and on planes last April.

Responding to Biden’s order in a statement Thursday, Nelson said, “What a difference leadership makes!”

She said Biden’s mask tenure “will provide much needed support to flight attendants and frontline aviation workers.”

Both executive orders direct federal agencies to take “immediate action” to implement the masked mandates. Details of how and when to implement them, as well as potential penalties for violation, were not in the orders. Agency officials had a week to update Zients on their progress, the Washington Post reported.

Along with the scientific evidence that proves the masks’ effectiveness in preventing the spread of COVID-19, the masks will also serve as a symbolic representation of the seriousness with which the Biden administration takes COVID-19.

“By reducing the number of leaders and people in positions of authority who refuse to wear masks, you reduce the feeling that this is acceptable behavior,” said Matt Seeger, a Dean of Wayne State University who works with the CDC, to the Washington Post.

The federal ownership mask mandate has already led some right-wing figures and former Trump officials to question its implementation.

They were quick to highlight that Biden was do not wear a mask at the Lincoln Memorial Wednesday night, in apparent violation of its own executive order.

When asked By a Fox News reporter on Thursday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki did not directly address the matter, saying Biden was “celebrating an evening of a historic day in our country” and that he signed the mask warrant “to send a message to the American public about the importance of wearing masks, how it can save tens of thousands of lives.”

“We’re taking a number of precautions, but I don’t think – I think we have big – bigger issues to worry about right now,” Psaki said.

A former Trump aide also questioned why the mask’s warrant did not apply to Psaki as she briefed the White House. (She takes off her mask before speaking to the lectern.)

Zients said the cloaked warrants were “not a political statement” but “the health of our families and the economic recovery of our country.”

Throughout the pandemic, Trump and some lawmakers in the Republic have repeatedly ignored and ridiculed basic COVID-19 precautions. They refused to wear masks in public and held White House “super-broadcaster” events and campaign rallies where the majority of attendees were maskless.

Trump even ridiculed Biden for always being seen in a mask, suggesting it was a sign of weakness.

Trump and his administration politicized the wearing of masks, pushing his supporters and conservatives to turn masks into a senseless and dangerous cultural war problem that has often led to violence. Across the country, people frequently engaged in verbal arguments and physical confrontations over wearing masks in public places, some of which became fatal.

The lack of clear federal guidelines and Trump’s mixed messages about the severity of the pandemic have led to confusion and chaos over mask warrants and other public health guidelines at the national and local levels. It also led many of his supporters to believe that COVID-19 was a hoax.

Biden, who has vowed to be transparent and honest about the pandemic, said it will be months before a majority of Americans are vaccinated and the death toll will likely exceed 500,000 in February.

“Experts say that by wearing a mask by April, we would save more than 50,000 lives in the future,” Biden said. “50,000 lives. So I ask every American to hide for the next 100 days.”