(CNN) –– The virtual democratic candidate Joe Biden assured that if he were elected president he would make it mandatory wearing masks in public, a statement that distances him on this issue from President Donald Trump, who has emphasized that the masks are voluntary and has ignored public health recommendations.
“The only thing we know is that these masks make a big difference. I would insist that all people wear that mask in public. Anyone who reopens would have to make sure businesses implement the masks, “Biden told the CNN affiliate in Pittsburgh, KDKA, while wearing a black mask.
Pressed with the question of whether he would use the federal power to order the mandatory use of a mask in public, Biden replied: “Yes, I would. From an executive point of view, yes, I would. ”
When asked again if that meant that “in effect” would require the use of masks, Biden replied: “He would do everything possible to require that people have to wear masks in public.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone use “a cloth face covering when they go out in public” to reduce transmission and delay the spread of coronavirus, which is highly contagious.
At least 16 states and the city of Washington have orders for the mandatory use of cloth face masks in public, but the masks have become a point political as some argue that the requirement infringes on your civil liberties.
Despite advice from public health experts, Trump continues to defy health recommendations and has been reluctant to be seen wearing a mask in public. The White House maintains that everyone who comes into contact with the president is regularly tested for coronavirus.
Trump recently told the newspaper The Wall Street Journal that the masks are “a double-edged sword” and he also suggested that they be used as a political statement, rather than a health precaution, to show disapproval against him.
“People come in, talk through the mask for hours. They probably don’t clean them up later, you know, and they get a little arrogant, right? Then they take the mask, put their finger on the mask and take it off, and then they start to touch their eyes and nose and mouth. And they don’t know how they were infected (from coronaviruses), ”the president told the newspaper.
Last month, Trump and the White House they mocked Biden for wearing a mask outdoors at a Memorial Day event, prompting the former vice president to respond in an interview with CNN, calling Trump “an absolute fool.”
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