Could Joe Biden’s National Mask Mandate Become A Reality?

Joe Biden called for a national mask mandate after accepting his nomination for President on the final night of the Democratic National Convention Thursday. It was one of several policies he outlined to help stop the spread of COVID-19, which the Trump administration has been dangerously mishandling and spreading misinformation about.

“We'll have a national mandate to wear a mask — not as a burden, but to protect each other. It's a patriotic duty,” Biden said in his speech.

He also promised to deploy rapid testing, manufacture more protective equipment, help schools reopen safely, and "take the muzzle off our experts." 

A study in July found that 40,000 lives would have been saved if there had been a national mask mandate in the months of April and May. Instead, at least 173,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 so far, with cases and deaths continuing to rise. 

“The tragedy of where we are today is it didn't have to be this bad,” said Biden. “Just look around. It's not this bad in Canada. Or Europe. Or Japan. Or almost anywhere else in the world.”

Rather than a common-sense measure to save lives, mask-wearing has become a politicized issue in the U.S., with anti-maskers staging armed protests and getting into confrontations at grocery stores. But despite the complaints of “Costco Karen” and the like about "liberty" — the "liberty" of not being infected with a disease seemingly not considered — a national mask mandate is perfectly constitutional. There are already mask mandates in place in over 30 states, plus a variety of local ordinances. Meanwhile other countries, including the U.K. and Germany, already implemented national mask mandates months ago. 

President Donald Trump rejected the idea of a national mask mandate last Thursday. 

"While Joe Biden would allow rioters and looters and criminals and millions of illegal aliens to roam free in our country, he wants the federal government to issue a sweeping new mandate to law-abiding citizens," Trump said during a press conference. "He wants the president of the United States, with the mere stroke of a pen, to order over 300 million American citizens to wear a mask for a minimum of three straight months."

Biden has pushed back against Trump’s approach to COVID-19, calling for practical, decisive action. He is not alone in calling for the mask mandate: According to a July survey, 82% of Americans support it, and hundreds of public health experts have shared Biden's urgency. 

“The President keeps telling us the virus is going to disappear. He keeps waiting for a miracle. Well, I have news for him, no miracle is coming,” Biden said.