President-Elect Joe Biden delivered an address from Wilmington, Delaware Monday about the coronavirus advisory board his transition team is setting up and his plans to combat the disease.
"We're still facing a very dark winter," he warned.
“There’s a need for bold action to fight this pandemic. We’re still facing a very dark winter … infection rates are going up, hospitalizations are going up, deaths are going up,” Biden said.
"Today our work begins," he added.
He asked the American people to wear masks when they leave the house. "It doesn't matter your party, your point of view. We can save tens of thousands of lives if everyone would just wear a mask for the next few months. Not Democrat or Republican lives -- American lives."
"Maybe we saved the life of a person who stocks the shelf at your local grocery store. Maybe saves the life of a member of your place of worship. Maybe it saves the lives of one of your children's teachers. Maybe it saves your life. So please, I implore you, wear a mask," he said. "Do it for yourself. Do it for your neighbor."
"It is to give something back to all of us — a normal life," he said. "And masks are critical doing that. It won't be forever. But that's how we get our nation back up to speed and economically. So we can go back to celebrating birthdays and holidays together, so we can attend sporting events together, get back to lives and connections we shared before the pandemic," he said. "We have to do this together."
He added: "We can get the virus under control, I promise you. We can rebuild our economy back better than it was before. We can address race-based disparities that damage our country. It's in our power. So let's wear a mask."
Addressing the announcement that the Pfizer and BioNTech coronavirus vaccine was successful in clinical trials, Biden said: "We just received positive news in this fight with announcement that there's been progress made toward a successful vaccine."
However, he cautioned that the process of developing a vaccine must "be grounded in science and fully transparent." He also warned that even if a vaccine receives approval, it "will not be widely available for many months yet to come."
Addressing his victory in last week's presidential election, Biden said that he "will be a president for every American. This election is over. It's time to put aside the partisanship and the rhetoric designed to demonize one another. It's time to end the pollicization of basic public health steps like mask wearing or social distancing."