Its first executive order, the “100 Days Masking Challenge”, will symbolize the sharp turn of the government since the Trump era, emphasizing the recommendations of public health experts. A president cannot tell states or cities what to do, but a federal mandate will affect federal offices and federal lands and will urge states to do the same.
“This executive action will direct agencies to take steps to demand compliance with CDC guidelines on the use of masks and physical distance in federal buildings, on federal land and by federal and contracted officials,” said Biden adviser Jeff Zients, who will be the government’s Covid -19 response coordinator.
“And the president will ask governors, public health officials, mayors, business leaders and others to implement masking, physical distance and other public measures to control COVID-19,” added Zients.
“This is not a political statement. It is about the health of our families and the economic recovery of our country.”
Returning to the world
Biden also plans to try to take the United States back to the world arena in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, advisers told reporters.
“America’s withdrawal from the international arena has impeded progress in the global response and has left us more vulnerable to future pandemics,” said Zients during a telephone meeting on Tuesday afternoon.
“He will take steps to stop the withdrawal process from the previous World Health Organization government, and the Biden / Harris government will attend the WHO executive council meeting this week.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, who as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases was the most prominent medical professional talking about the coronavirus pandemic under Trump’s administration, will speak to the WHO executive board in an official capacity on Thursday.
Biden will also restore the National Security Council’s Global Health Security and Biodefense Directorate. That office, established in 2015 under the Obama administration, was dissolved in 2018, although the Trump administration denied that this meant it had abandoned all pandemic preparedness.
“Moving forward, we will focus on the immediate and emerging domestic and global biological threats and will play a critical role in stopping this pandemic and preventing future biological catastrophes,” said Zients.
Biden will also try to prevent evictions related to people’s job losses due to the pandemic, said Brian Deese, who will lead the National Economic Council.
“We are excited to see Congress take a step in the right direction by providing some rental assistance and extending the federal eviction moratorium until January 31. But the threat of widespread evictions still exists at the end of the month in just a few days,” Deese he said, adding that Biden would ask the CDC to consider extending the federal eviction moratorium until at least the end of March.