Biden addresses conference of US mayors on virus

U.S. President Joe Biden outlined on Saturday his administration's plan to fight the coronavirus pandemic which includes mandatory mask-wearing on federal properties and public transport and a mass vaccination campaign. Speaking during a virtual conference to the mayors of the U.S. biggest cities, Biden urged citizens to wear face masks for 100 days until April, saying that experts estimate that as many as 50,000 lives could be saved by the measure. He called on mayors to work with the administration and make sure people respect the rules, including social distancing.

The Biden administration also released its strategy of vaccinating 100 million people in its first 100 days. The president further laid out a two-step plan for the U.S economic recovery, which includes new social financial benefits and 350 billion U.S dollars to local government to keep workers ''on the job.''

The coronavirus pandemic has cost the U.S the loss of ten million jobs, the highest number since the Great Depression. The U.S. has the world's highest case number of 24.9 million confirmed coronavirus infections, with more than 417,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins university.