Donald Trump says he likely won’t be taking the CDC’s advice to wear a face mask in public, but Joe Biden says he will.
One day after the president discussed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s new recommendation for people to wear cloth masks in public in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus but said he had no plans to do it himself, his likely election opponent said he would be taking up their advice.
Speaking on ABC’s This Week , Biden said it was important for people to heed the advice of the CDC in curbing the spread of the virus. As The Hill noted, Biden also issued a recommendation to Trump to get over whatever insecurities he might have in wearing a mask and do what’s best for others.
“I think it’s important to follow the science, listen to the experts, do what they tell you,” Biden said.
“He may not like how he looks in a mask, but the truth of the matter is follow the science.”
While wearing a mask does not protect the wearer from potentially contracting the virus, it does help protect others by preventing it from spreading among people who have coronavirus but may be asymptomatic. Medical experts have said that people who are unaware they have the disease are one of the biggest factors in spreading it.
Biden has not gone out much recently, shuttering his campaign and saying he’s staying out of public spaces. Biden has continued to address voters through the use of live-streaming addresses and has made an appearance on political talk shows, but is not going any further. As The Inquisitr noted, Biden even suggested that the Democratic National Conference, which has already been postponed until August, may need to become a “virtual” convention without actual attendees.
Biden’s statement about wearing a mask in public comes in contrast to Trump, who on Saturday made it clear that he wouldn’t follow the voluntary advice.
“You can do it. You don’t have to do it. I’m choosing not to do it, but some people may want to do it, and that’s OK,” he said.
Both Biden and Trump are in the most dangerous age range for contracting coronavirus, with experts saying that those over the age of 60 are most susceptible to suffering critical complications. The death rate from the virus is also highest among those over the age of 80. Biden is 77, while Trump is 73.
