For his first 100 days in office, US President-elect Joe Biden has said he would ask Americans to wear masks to curtail the spread of coronavirus.

He told CNN he felt if every American wore a face covering, there would be a "significant reduction" in Covid-19 incidents.

Mr Biden also said that in US government buildings and transportation facilities, he would order masks to be worn. 14 million cases and 275,000 deaths from Covid-19 have been reported by the US.

The step represents a significant change from President Donald Trump, whose own mask-wearing cynicism has contributed to the issue's politicisation. That has made many people hesitant to adopt a practice that is one of the best ways to handle the pandemic, which has killed more than 275,000 Americans, public health experts claim.

The president-elect often stressed mask-wearing as a "patriotic duty" and the concept of creating a national mask mandate was proposed during the campaign, which he later realized would be beyond the president's ability to implement.

Speaking with CNN's Jake Tapper, Biden said he would make the request of Americans on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20.

“On the first day I'm inaugurated, I'm going to ask the public for 100 days to mask. Just 100 days to mask — not forever, just 100 days. And I think we'll see a significant reduction” in the virus, Biden said.