Joe Biden calls for US-wide mask mandate, saying he hopes Trump has ‘learned his lesson’ on face coverings
- Democratic VP pick Kamala Harris expected to focus on attacking president’s coronavirus response
- Trump refused for long time to wear mask in public, turning them into political symbol
Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden on Thursday called on all US governors to mandate mask wearing to slow the spread of the coronavirus that has killed more than 167,000 people in the United States.
In his second day on the campaign trail with former rival and now running mate Kamala Harris by his side, Biden made the call for a nationwide mandate on masks after a virtual meeting with public health advisers in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.
“Every single American should be wearing a mask when they’re outside for the next three months,” Biden said. “Every governor should mandate mandatory mask wearing.”
He said that early delays in calling for masks led to unnecessary deaths.
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Joe Biden and Kamala Harris take stage on US presidential campaign as Trump lashes out
President Donald Trump, the man he is trying to unseat in November, long refused to wear one in public. That turned masks into a political symbol and sparked squabbles across the country in which other Republican elected officials and some Trump supporters have angrily refused to wear them.