Biden has adamantly encouraged Americans to wear masks to help combat the coronavirus pandemic. As previously reported, he’s announced that he’ll sign an executive order on his first day in office requiring masks to be worn in federal buildings and on trains, airplanes and buses. He’s also asked Americans to do their part and wear a mask for his first 100 days.
While he’s acknowledged that COVID-19 won’t just vanish in the first 100 days of his administration, Biden said that those three actions will “slow the spread, save lives, and get us back to our lives with the people we love the most” in a December 12 press conference.
Among those who have thrown support behind Biden and sworn to wear a mask are actor Billy Baldwin, Will & Grace star Debra Messing (who retweeted Baldwin) and famed New York Magazine art critic Jerry Saltz. Saltz and Baldwin both encouraged their fans and followers to take the message of the mask mandate and “pass it on” to help spread the word.
Other celebrities have showed support for Biden’s plans, even if they didn’t directly state that they’d wear a mask for the president-elect’s first 100 days in office. Former Howard Stern Show personality John Melendez tweeted, asking why people wouldn’t wear a mask, and poked fun at Florida congressman Matt Gaetz, remarking, “If anyone should be wearing a mask 24/7 it’s this guy.”
“This is what #leadership looks like,” bodybuilder and author Amazin Lethi wrote, quote-tweeting Biden’s plan.
While many were happy to pledge their support of Biden’s request, a few people have remained skeptical about the focus on Biden’s first 100 days. Filmmaker and Bill & Ted actor Alex Winter tweeted that “sane and responsible people” have been regularly wearing masks since March, and said that everyone will likely need to wear masks for much longer. “Is there any indication we won’t need to remain masked through most of 2021 here in the US where it’s rampant,” he wrote. “People who won’t wear masks are just a******s.”
Even as many people are expressing the desire to help slow the spread, a few people have recently raised other concerns related to the pandemic that they feel Biden should also address. Activist and filmmaker Bree Newsome tweeted earlier in December that those facing eviction and saddled with debt should also be a prime concern. Others have called on the president-elect to help those struggling financially and offer more monetary support.
