President Joe Biden launches a national COVID-19 strategy as his first White House venture.
As the death toll from the country continues to rise and new variants of the virus cause new panic, Biden hopes that newly installed federal property mask requirements will help curb the raging coronavirus pandemic.
One of the first executive orders he signed on Wednesday included the obligation to wear face masks on all federal property and by all federal employees and contractors, which applies to federal employees on duty or on the premises, federal contractors on the premises and other individuals in federal buildings and on federal lands. ‘
“This executive action will require the agencies to take action to comply with CDC guidelines on wearing masks and physical distance in federal buildings, federal states, and by federal employees and contractors,” said Jeff Zients, COVID co-ordinator. 19 response from Biden, told reporters.
“This is not a political statement. It is about the health of our families and the economic recovery of our country,” he added.
Masks quickly became political after Trump repeatedly refused to wear a mask in public during the first months of the pandemic. His administration was also discouraged from using masks, and the White House hosted a number of mask-free events last year.
Federal property extends beyond the state capital and applies to federal buildings across the country, including federal courthouses and state capitals.
Although a president has no authority over which state and local officials have the mandate, he encouraged them to institute their own mandates. Most states have already issued mask requirements, but governors in Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and Tennessee have opted out of a nationwide order. to issue.
Biden is expected to continue to encourage COVID-19 security measures as he signs ten pandemic-related executive orders on Thursday, which will be one year since the first case of COVID-19 was reported in the US.
One of them contains a mask requirement for Americans traveling on airports, planes, ships, city buses, trains and public transportation, although it is unclear when the travel order will take effect.
Although airlines already require passengers to wear masks and prohibit those who do not comply, it is difficult to enforce masks without a federal mandate. Without an order from the president, passengers tried to argue about their rights with the cabin crew.
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Airlines and unions have been calling for an executive order since the start of the pandemic, but find little help from the Trump administration.
Biden officials said the Associated Press that their efforts to combat the virus are also hampered by the lack of cooperation of the former government during the transition of power.
“Nearly a year later, we still do not have basic federal security requirements such as a mask mandate,” the flight attendants’ association CWA said in a statement issued last week. “We are eager to work with the Biden government to protect aviation workers and passengers.”
When travelers resumed flying in early May, U.S. airlines began adopting mask policies to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and provide safer travel experiences to concerned passengers.
Only a few months later, they stuck to their rules and restricted the types of face masks on airplanes. Passengers have been warned that non-compliance could result in the airline being banned from flying during the pandemic.
According to USA Today, nearly 3,000 passengers were banned from eight airlines: Delta, United, Spirit, JetBlue, Frontier, Alaska, Hawaii and Allegiant. Because the country’s largest airlines, American and Southwest, do not provide these figures, the total number is expected to be much higher.
Newsweek issued the White House for further comment, but did not hear before publication.