It seems a simple request from President-elect Joe Biden, given the current coronavirus situation. Commit to wearing a mask for 100 days. Everyone. Starting on the day he takes office in January.
It’s not a political statement or an endorsement of his election victory or dependent on whether you live in a red state or a blue state.
The request is based on science: Wearing a mask can slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus and it’s literally the least we can do to combat a surge that has produced an alarming number of new cases and deaths over the past several weeks.
Being asked to wear a mask is nothing new. It’s become the lasting image of 2020 as we see them everywhere we go, and in many instances are required to don them before stepping into stores, restaurants or public buildings.
This request is more indicative of a dramatic shift in the way the incoming administration views the coronavirus pandemic and how to combat it. Where President Donald Trump frequently denied the severity of the disease, rarely wore a mask and even ridiculed some who did, Mr. Biden, who campaigned while masked, seems determined to convince Americans of not only the severity of the disease but also their role in fighting it.
Repeated studies have shown that face coverings are effective in slowing the spread of the disease when used in combination with other safety measures such as frequent hand-washing and social distancing. Still, there are far too many who deny the lethality of the disease and refuse to wear a mask when out in public.
Those are the people the incoming president is trying to reach. The health experts on his coronavirus team are all in agreement that 100 days of mask wearing will have a profound effect on limiting the number of new cases.
And the severity of the disease could be even more pronounced by the time Inauguration Day arrives. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s foremost infectious disease expert, warned of a “very dark winter” ahead if safety measures are continually ignored.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports cases in the U.S. now total more than 19 million, with more than 334,000 deaths. Worse is the surge in cases over the past few months: On Sept. 12, the seven-day rolling average of new cases in the U.S. was 10.4 per 100,000 people; by Dec. 29, it had skyrocketed to 54.2 per 100,000 people, according to the CDC.
The 100-day request is not an arbitrary number. It would take us to the beginning of May, when abundant doses of the vaccines now making their way to cities would be — hopefully — available to most Americans.
A nationwide commitment to wearing masks, combined with the rollout of a vaccine, could be the final push needed to end this pandemic. And that’s a goal that seems within reach.
— Tribune News Service
