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The 100 days that could change America

President-elect Joe Biden urged Americans to wear masks for the first 100 days after he starts office.

Covid-19 reared its ugliest head in the United States this week, as 226,000 new cases were reported on Friday, making it the highest single-day spike thus far. With nearly 100,000 hospitalisations and a record 2,804 deaths in a single day, it has become amply clear that winter will present a monumental challenge. Many states have already begun enforcing stay-at-home orders and other restrictions to contain the spread of the virus. While Pfizer and Moderna vaccines offer a ray of hope in these bleak times, the real challenge for medical establishments in the country have been to get Americans to practise that one basic thing that could potentially contain the spread of Covid-19 — wearing masks. Which is why when amid a period of chaos and political transition, President-elect Joe Biden urged Americans to wear masks for the first 100 days after he starts office, one spotted a glimmer of hope. “Just 100 days to mask, not forever. One hundred days. And I think we’ll see a significant reduction,” Biden was quoted as saying.

Biden’s plea is a refreshing contrast to his predecessor’s reluctance to wearing masks, which has been on public display. Much of President Donald Trump’s final year in office will be remembered for how he undermined the impact of Covid-19. Trump had often been at loggerheads with his own team of medical advisers when it came to containing the spread of the virus, and was seen in public rallies and gatherings without mask. Despite contracting the virus himself, the POTUS famously took off his mask 72 hours later for a photo-op. In the run-up to the presidential elections last month, Trump mocked his political opponents for wearing masks and told a reporter she was being ‘politically correct’ in wearing one. The POTUS’ stand on something as basic and necessary as mask-wearing turned it into a contentious issue, which saw many Americans blatantly disregarding the need to wear masks even as the virus claimed more lives. This despite repeated recommendations from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encouraging Americans to wear masks as life resumed back to normal in many parts.

In an interview with CNN, Biden added that he’d ask for masks to be worn in all government buildings, a welcome move that shows he intends to lead by example. His plea comes at a time when it seems that healthcare facilities across the US are poised to be overwhelmed soon with rampant hospitalisations. And while Pfizer and Moderna vaccines offer a ray of hope in otherwise bleak times, there will be inadvertent logistical challenges involved in distribution. There is no doubt that Biden presidency will start at a socially and politically precarious time, but one can take heart in the fact that the President-elect is learning from his predecessor’s mistakes. In appointing Dr Anthony Fauci his chief medical adviser, Biden has shown keenness to listen to sound advice. As the US prepares for a challenging winter ahead, Americans can feel reassured in the foresight and astuteness demonstrated by their future leader.