Coronavirus: Biden says US ‘under threat,’ mulls nationwide mandate on facemasks

US President-elect Joe Biden implored Americans to wear a facemask and urged putting aside the politicization of the matter after he announced a coronavirus advisory board.

“We are Americans, and our country is under threat,” Biden said in a televised speech, as he revealed plans to push for the mandatory use of facemasks as the United States continues to be battered by the pandemic.

Biden welcomed Monday news of Phizer announcing that its vaccine was more than 90 percent effective. But he warned that the US was “facing a very dark winter” regarding the coronavirus.

He said wearing a facemask could save “thousands of lives.”