Biden Ditches Mask At Lincoln Memorial Hours After Mandating Face Covering On Federal Land

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd January, 2021) Freshly-inaugurated US President Joe Biden was spotted maskless during Wednesday evening visit to the Lincoln Memorial just hours after signing an executive order making face coverings mandatory on Federal property in a bid to curb the pandemic, the US media reported late Thursday.

According to the Fox news broadcaster, Biden now faces harsh criticism for going bare-faced during a televised address to the nation and standing at the foot of the memorial with people a short distance to his side.

"Wearing masks isn't a partisan issue � it's a patriotic act that can save countless lives. That's why I signed an executive order today issuing a mask mandate on federal property. It's time to mask up, America," Biden tweeted on Wednesday evening.

On Thursday, a day after he was sworn-in as the 46th US president, Biden signed a slew of executive orders to undo his predecessor's policies. A number of those orders were coronavirus-related.