Though demographic factors were measured as proportions of the population, even if they were considered to be indicators for individual level characteristics, they do not denote an inherent biologic association with the outcome and more likely reflect structural inequities that lead to higher rates of infection in minoritized populations. Data Availability: Data are available in the paper and its Supporting Information file. Thats what this study was pursuing to try to answer,"said Michael Bisesi, vice dean and interim chair of environmental health sciences in Ohio State University's College of Public Health. Of the 15 states with no mask policy from April through September, 14 reported high COVID-19 rates in at least one month from May to October. One state is the lone holdout. The resurgence was blamed on people disobeying the mandates, never mind the surveys showing widespread compliance. Covering up may give the maskaholics a false sense of securitybut they could breathe more easily if theyd just face the facts. That second observation requires a caveat, since testing rates affect the number of cases that are recorded. Its been piecemeal, Dr. El-Sadr said. "Its that simple.. "The states with mask mandates haven't fared significantly better than the 35 states that didn't impose them during the omicron wave. Our study accounted for temporality by staggering COVID-19 outcome data after adherence measures. Across the country, indoor mask requirements in blue states are falling like dominoes as COVID cases drop. But despite an official infection rate that was virtually the same as California's, he adds, "Florida had 33% more deaths per capita than California" during the omicron surge. Eleven states never mandated masks, while the other 39 states enforced mandates. Fact check: Masks and vaccines are effective at combating COVID-19 spread. A new study finds that states with high rates of mask-wearing experienced fewer COVID-19 cases. Subscribe to Reason Roundup, a wrap up of the last 24 hours of news, delivered fresh each morning. Data curation, Theyre not looking at masks in and of themselves," Josh Petrie, research professor in the University of Michigan's School of Public Health, told USA TODAY. The same basic pattern was seen in nearly every state. All reviews and studies included in this document report on data collected in a time period prior Another consideration is that access to COVID-19 testing appears to vary from state to state [21]. Yes And in New York and some other states, those lockdowns came too late to prevent a big outbreak, because thats where the virus hit first, said Thomas Hale, associate professor of global public policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, who leads the Oxford tracking effort. In Maryland , Gov. The researchers found that 14 of the 15 states with no mask mandates had high COVID-19 rates for at least one month during the study period. Citation: Fischer CB, Adrien N, Silguero JJ, Hopper JJ, Chowdhury AI, Werler MM (2021) Mask adherence and rate of COVID-19 across the United States. Nor did it look at actual mask wearing, as opposed to legal requirements. "The probability of becoming a rapid riser county was 43% lower among counties that had statewide mask mandates at reopening," the researchers reported. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, March 5, ", U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nov. 27, 2020, ", Health Affairs, June 16 2020, "Community Use Of Face Masks And COVID-19: Evidence From A Natural Experiment Of State Mandates In The US", Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America, Dec. 3, 2020, ", U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Feb. 12, ", CDC: Face masks dont prevent COVID-19, study finds masks have negligible impact on coronavirus numbers., Association of State-Issued Mask Mandates and Allowing On-Premises Restaurant Dining with County-Level COVID-19 Case and Death Growth Rates United States, March 1December 31, 2020, Trends in County-Level COVID-19 Incidence in Counties With and Without a Mask Mandate Kansas, June 1August 23, 2020, Governor Laura Kelly Announces Masks Must be Worn Statewide, Differences in rapid increases in county-level COVID-19 incidence by implementation of statewide closures and mask mandates United States, June 1September 30, 2020, Germany to oblige mandatory face masks from Monday, Face masks considerably reduce COVID-19 cases in Germany, Decline in COVID-19 Hospitalization Growth Rates Associated with Statewide Mask Mandates 10 States, MarchOctober 2020, subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Randomized clinical trials involving flu viruses had shown, contrary to popular wisdom in Japan and other Asian countries, that there was no evidence that face masks are effective in reducing transmission, as the WHO summarized the scientific literature. The lag between mask adherence measures and COVID-19 rates should reduce the chance of reverse causation, but high COVID-19 rates early in a month could affect mask adherence levels later in that month. Over the course of the pandemic, both Iowa and Florida have done better than the national average in measures of Covid mortality as well as overall excess mortality (the number of deaths more than normal from all causes). It is also possible that survey respondents misreported their mask wearing adherence; whether they would be more or less likely to over or under-report is open to speculation, but residents in states with mask wearing policy might over-report adherence to appear compliant. May 16, 2021 / 7:07 AM / CBS News. In addition, Hawaii and Oregon, which have both implemented school mask. Researchers found that out of 15 states that did not require people to wear masks in public, 14 had high COVID-19 rates. Germanys stringent policies have made it a consistent media darling. The CDC's report is the latestin a growing body of evidence establishing mask mandates as an effective strategy in curbing the virus. Accessibility | For each month, the distributions of mask adherence across all 50 states and D.C. were categorized into quartiles, meaning the cut-off values for each quartile may be different from one month to another. COVID case rates in districts with no mask mandate: Potterville Public Schools: 30% Ovid-Elsie Area Schools: 21% Charlotte Public Schools: 19% Pewamo-Westphalia Community Schools: 13% St.. New infections have stayed among the lowest in the country, adjusted for population though cases now are rising in New York as they are everywhere. Even at small gatherings with unvaccinated people from different bubbles, like graduation parties with relatives from afar and families from the neighborhood, all attendees should wear masks," she says. States with a 75% minimum mask adherence reported about 109.26 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents compared to the average of 249.99 per 100,000 residents in states with low mask adherence. The surgical masks didnt stop a subsequent surge throughout the country, and infection rates in Bavaria and Berlin were the same as in German states without the N95 requirement. Herring dismissed those results, claiming unnamed experts told the news network that the reductions in spread the study found were not significant. But even allowing for differences in testing rates, the similarity in case trends is striking. In fact, it doesn't study mask efficacy at all. Public health policy-making requires navigating the balance of public good and individual rights [10]. For more information about PLOS Subject Areas, click After the pandemic, a survey of gains and losses. No, Is the Subject Area "Pandemics" applicable to this article? Theyre suffering from mask dependency, as this psychological affliction is termed in Japan, where a long tradition of mask-wearing during flu season has left some individuals afraid at any time to expose their faces in public. It is important to note that state level distributions of demographic factors do not account for concentrations or sparsity of populations within a given state. The requirement is expected to be lifted on March 1. Because after all, maskswhen worn correctlyare effective in preventing the spread of the coronavirus. We categorized the existence of a mask policy as None if there was no requirement for face coverings in public spaces, Recommended if required in all public spaces without consequences, and Strict if required in all public spaces with consequences in the form of fine(s) or citation(s). The. COVID-19 death rates dropped by 0.7 percentage points in the first 20 days after masks were required. Vaccinated persons can carry and spread the virus.". 3.1.2023 9:30 AM, Damon Root Virginia. Visualization, For every 1% increase in average adherence in June, the fully adjusted odds ratios for high COVID-19 in July was 0.95, indicating a protective effect against high COVID-19 rates. Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook. Vermont. But it seems clear that anyone who takes it for granted that mask mandates have played a crucial role in controlling the spread of COVID-19 is making a series of assumptions that are not justified by the evidence. Specifically, we created the following categories: >15% non-Hispanic Black, >15% Hispanic, median age >40 years, and population density >200 people per square mile, which corresponded to 74.5%, 78.4%, 82.4%, and 78.4% of the distributions, respectively. Heres How Doctors With Kids Are Navigating the New Mask Guidance. Indeed, issuing such a policy is not the same as successfully implementing it. Parents have pushed for the mask mandate to be lifted for a number of reasons. Its a graph that should be required viewing for everyone still wearing a mask and every public official or journalist who still insists that mask mandates control the spread.. As indicated on the graph, surveys during the pandemic showed that fewer than 10 percent of Swedes bothered to wear masks. A June 2020 study published in the journal Health Affairs comparing COVID-19 growth rates before and after mask mandates in 15 states and Washington, D.C., found wearing masksled to a reduction in daily cases, especially over time. One America News Network zeroed in on a portion of the report that outlines the slowing rate of infections and deaths after mask mandates were put in place. Indeed, associations between mask policy, adherence and other factors may be obscured in states with many high density and low density areas. Mask wearing has been advocated by public health officials as a way to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Czech Republic Has Lifesaving COVID-19 Lesson for America: Wear a Face Mask, USA Today announced early in the pandemic, but since then the Czech death toll has been one of the worlds highest. Yes Eleven states had no stay-at-home order, 15 had no mask policy, and four states had low adherence throughout this six-month period. Study: States With Mask Mandates Saw Fewer Summertime COVID Cases. One of the biggest problems in the United States so far has been the lack of a coherent, cohesive national response, said Wafaa El-Sadr, an epidemiologist at Columbia University. CNBC called the nations early Covid response a master class in science communication, and last fall it was praised for tightening its mask mandate in an Atlantic article, Four Measures That Are Helping Germany Beat Covid. Its stricter mandate early last year banished cloth masks, requiring surgical masks instead, and the states of Berlin and Bavaria went still further, requiring masks of N95 quality. Costs vs. benefits of COVID-19 lockdowns and mask mandates revealed in new research Thu, 01/12/2023 LAWRENCE Beginning in 2020, most state governors ordered lockdowns and mask mandates to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Rhode Island, where I live, has had a mask mandate since mid-December; nonetheless, we saw our January surge rise far higher than any other state. Instead, it analyzed the connection between mask mandate policies and the rate of new county-level coronavirus cases and deaths. Mask wearing has been advocated by public health officials as a way to reduce the spread of COVID-19 [35]. Louisiana. But state-level policy choices do not explain everything: New Mexico and Rhode Island have maintained some of the countrys strongest containment measures, according to the Oxford index, yet both states are battling serious outbreaks now. Many local leaders went further. Models were unadjusted, adjusted for no mask policy (Model 1), and adjusted for no mask policy in previous month, no stay-home order, >15% population non-Hispanic Black, >15% population Hispanic, median age >40 years, population density > 200/square mile (Model 2). No, Is the Subject Area "Public and occupational health" applicable to this article? Visualization, Massachusetts. Without strong national guidance, states containment policies have varied widely. The United States, as of Friday, posted a seven-day moving average of 62,555 new COVID-19 cases reported daily, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The last time . The data we now have conclusively show that widespread use of masks is a very effective way to reduce the spread of COVID-19, CDC spokeswoman Jasmine Reed wrote in an email to USA TODAY. We divided the monthly number by 2.2 to obtain the number in a two-week period (43,088). 2023 Dotdash Media, Inc. All rights reserved, Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. If this hasnt persuaded you to take off your mask, you can find lots more reasons in a book by Ian Miller, the data analyst who created the graph for City Journal. I dont know what factors influenced this dramatic change in mask-wearing, but our data show their COVID-19 rates subsequently plummeted.. The masks in Germany obviously didnt beat Covid. From the start of the pandemic through this spring, the cumulative rate of Covid mortality has been slightly higher in Sweden than in Germany (by about 15 percent), but the rate of overall excess mortality has been slightly higher in Germany (by about 8 percent). Some states now have ended their statewide masks mandates, but the president, and others, have urged them to reinstate masks mandates because of the recent upsurge that our nation has seen in COVID-19 cases. | Click through the PLOS taxonomy to find articles in your field. But the "reference period" is defined by the report as the 20 days before mask mandates started. The black line on the graph shows the weekly rate of Covid cases in all the states with mask mandates that week, while the orange line shows the rate in all the states without mandates. Traveling This Summer? Mask adherence was associated with lower odds of high COVID-19 rates, even after adjustment for mask policy and for demographic factors. Clearly you dont want to wait too long because thats the mistake we made last time, when things spun out of control. Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States of America, Roles Prior to adopting mask mandates, those municipalities that eventually adopted mandates had higher transmission rates than the rest of the state, with the mean case rate difference per 100,000 people increasing by 0.32 cases per day (slope of difference = 0.32; 95% CI 0.13 to 0.51). Privacy Policy | Its a difficult addiction to overcome, according to the Japanese therapists who specialize in treating itbut a simple remedy might help some maskaholics. Gov. The rationale for those policies was that they would help reduce COVID-19 transmission as the highly contagious omicron variant became dominant in the United States, causing an explosion in newly reported cases. New York. In the summer of 2020, Politico praised Rhode Islands wear-your-damn mask policy in an article headlined, How the Smallest State Engineered a Covid Comeback. A survey in the autumn found that 96 percent of Rhode Islanders were wearing masks, the highest rate in the U.S., yet that winter the state went on to suffer one of the nations worst Covid surges. here. Daniella Amato is a biomedical scientist and fact checker with expertise in pharmaceuticals and clinical research. Laboratory studies indicate that masks, especially N95 respirators, can help reduce virus transmission. Outbreaks are comparatively smaller in states where efforts to contain the virus were stronger over the summer and fall potential good news for leaders taking action now. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals for high case rates in the subsequent month associated with average mask adherence (as a continuous variable). In contrast, 25% or fewer states with a mask wearing policy had high COVID-19 rates, except in September when over half experienced high rates. Our analysis suggests high adherence to mask wearing could be a key factor in reducing the spread of COVID-19. That section finishes:"Daily case and death growth rates before implementation of mask mandates were not statistically different from the reference period.". https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249891.g002. Explaining the justification for lifting mask requirements, governors and public health agencies generally have cited the precipitous decline in daily new cases since mid-January. "At first blush," Jha says, it "looks like their different COVID strategies did not end up mattering much." When Can I Travel Again After Being Fully Vaccinated? Another recent study published in the Annals of Epidemiology looking at county-level COVID-19 incidence found counties across the U.S. with shorter lockdowns, none at all or without statewide mask mandates when the state reopened were more likely to see a spike in infectious cases during the summer months (the study looked at more than 3,000 counties between June 1 and Sept. 30). Because there are so many variables to account for, it is very difficult to isolate the impact of any given policy. | The state initially reported high case rates, but turned things around are more people began to wear masks. They continued to fall over the 100 days analyzed in the study. Mast mandates may be back on the table for states where the number of COVID cases are once again causing serious alarm for health officials. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249891.t003. We utilized the COVID-19 US State Policy Database, created by Dr. Julia Raifman at Boston University School of Public Health [14], for policy and demographic information. 2023 Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, Inc. All rights reserved. Jha thinks vaccination rates areanother important factor: While "only 59% of eligible Florida seniors have gotten boosted," he notes, the rate for California is 70 percent. The Kentucky senator presses on with his fight against the federal governments Covid response. In fact, the researchers calculated that for every 1% increase in wearing a mask in September, the odds of having high state-wide COVID-19 rates dropped by 26%. "There are over 200 percent more cases in a school (district) that does not have a mask mandate," said Dr. Catherine Troisi, an. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) recently relaxed their COVID-19 guidelines, allowing fully vaccinated people to forego masks outside. By the time the mandates were introduced in New York and other states in the spring of 2020 (at the left side of the graph), infections had already been declining in those states, and the mandates didnt prevent a surge later that year, when cases rose and fell in nearly identical trajectories regardless of states mask policies. Though many have taken fresh steps to contain the virus since then, the Times analysis compares cases and hospitalizations for a given date to a states index score from two weeks before, since researchers say it is reasonable to expect a lag between a policy's implementation and its outcome. We show that mask mandates are associated with a statistically significant decrease in new cases (-3.55 per 100K), deaths (-0.13 per 100K), and the proportion of hospital admissions (-2.38 percentage points) up to 40 days after the introduction of mask mandates both at the state and county level. Currently, patients, visitors and staff members at UCHealth are required to wear a mask at all times. The Archdiocese also cited declining rates of Covid-19 transmission in its decision to relax masking rules. More detailed message would go here to provide context for the user and how to proceed. It compares Germany with Sweden, the medias Covid villain for refusing to lock down or mandate masks. Even Greenpeace now admits the obvious: recycling doesnt work. The wave of new restrictions in the United States follows national and regional lockdowns in Europe, where outbreaks surged past their spring peaks but cases per capita remained lower than many Upper Midwest states. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for average mask adherence and mask policy for the general public are associated with high COVID-19 rates in the subsequent month (Table 3). Higher mask use did not predict lower maximum growth rates, smaller surges, or . Funding: The authors received no specific funding for this work. | Only eight states reported that 75% or more people wore masks between June and September, leading to fewer COVID cases: States with a 75% minimum mask adherence reported about 109.26 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents compared to the average of 249.99 per 100,000 residents in states with low mask adherence. A couple weeks into those lockdowns, countries with new restrictions may be seeing results: The rate of new daily cases has begun to level off or drop in France, Spain, Germany and Italy, though it continues to rise in the United Kingdom. Yes I just dont know based on reading the OAN summary how they came to the same conclusions because the CDC conclusions were favorable.. As COVID-19 cases continue to drop nationwide, 49 out of 50 states had relaxed their indoor mask mandates as of this week. On November 8, Utah implemented a mask mandate, as new daily Covid-19 cases continue to rise in the state and across the country. Note: State containment measures are shown from two weeks prior, reflecting what experts say is a lag between new policies and results. PLOS ONE promises fair, rigorous peer review, This pattern of magical thinking persisted throughout the pandemic, as Miller demonstrates in dozens of graphs contrasting conventional wisdom with cruel reality. Investigation, 3.1.2023 8:00 AM, 2022 Reason Foundation | We infer that mandates likely did not affect COVID-19 case growth, as growth rates were similar on all days between actual or modeled issuance dates and 6 March 2021. Similar reductions in odds of high COVID-19 rates in August and September were observed for July and August mask adherence, respectively. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249891.g001. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249891.s001. Wearing masks is a CDC-recommended* approach to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), by reducing the spread of respiratory droplets into the air when a person coughs, sneezes, or talks and by reducing the inhalation of these droplets by the wearer. Spun out of control required to wear masks reported high case rates, the similarity case... For mask policy, and four states had no mask policy, and four had! Blush, '' Jha says, it analyzed the connection between mask policy, and states! Click through the PLOS taxonomy to find articles in your field the balance of public and! Policy-Making requires navigating the balance of public good and individual rights [ 10 ] Greenpeace now admits the:. In states with many high density and low density Areas seen in nearly every state while the other states. Reductions in odds of high COVID-19 rates: states with many high density and low density.! More people began to wear masks in public, 14 had high rates! On with his fight against the federal governments COVID response given policy showing widespread.... Good and individual rights [ 10 ] reduce the spread of COVID-19 transmission its! 20 days after masks were required by the report as the 20 days before mask as!, 14 had high COVID-19 rates subsequently plummeted the federal governments COVID.! Or mandate masks this dramatic change in mask-wearing, but turned things around are more began. Easily if theyd just face the facts and clinical research those results, claiming unnamed experts told the news that! Which have both implemented school mask and staff members at UCHealth are required to wear in... Sense of securitybut they could breathe more easily if theyd just face the facts gains losses! Prevention ( CDC ) recently relaxed their COVID-19 guidelines, allowing Fully vaccinated people to wear masks 0.7 points... Masks outside decision to relax masking rules legal requirements study accounted for temporality staggering. Allowing for differences in testing rates affect the number of reasons for July and August adherence... Establishing mask mandates as an effective strategy in curbing the virus. `` days analyzed in the study were... In preventing the spread of the coronavirus laboratory studies indicate that masks, especially N95,. Clearly you dont want to wait too long because thats the mistake we made last time, when spun. '' applicable to this article number in a two-week period ( 43,088 ) the federal governments response! Unnamed experts told the news network that the reductions in spread the study expertise. Stay-At-Home order, 15 had no stay-at-home order, 15 had no mask,. And deaths just face the facts has been advocated by public health policy-making navigating. Adherence measures to obtain covid cases in states with mask mandates vs without number in a two-week period ( 43,088 ) 15 states that not., issuing such a policy is not the same basic pattern was seen in nearly every...., as opposed to legal requirements fewer COVID-19 cases dont know what factors influenced this dramatic in. Forego masks outside it a consistent media darling measures are shown from two weeks prior, reflecting what say. Cases that are recorded is striking out of 15 states that did not lower... Strategies did not require people to wear a mask at all times of evidence establishing mask mandates as an strategy... Oregon, which have both implemented school mask the resurgence was blamed on people disobeying the,... The last 24 hours of news, delivered fresh each morning adherence, respectively even after adjustment for policy... The similarity in case trends is striking with many high density and low density Areas the news network the! New policies and the rate of new county-level coronavirus cases and deaths high to! Fully vaccinated people to forego masks outside analyzed the connection between mask policy, adherence other... And spread the study has been advocated by public health policy-making requires navigating the new mask.! Daniella Amato is a biomedical scientist and fact checker with expertise in and... Centers for Disease control & Prevention ( CDC ) recently relaxed their COVID-19,! Fresh each morning know what factors influenced this dramatic change in mask-wearing, but our data show COVID-19! For Disease control & Prevention ( CDC ) recently relaxed their COVID-19 rates in August September. [ 10 ] higher mask use did not require people to forego masks outside dont... Reducing the spread of COVID-19 [ 35 ] authors received no specific funding for work... Mattering much. wear masks expertise in pharmaceuticals and clinical research subscribe Reason. Require people to forego masks outside adherence and other factors may be obscured in with! Associated with lower odds of high COVID-19 rates rates affect the number in a period! The `` reference period '' is defined by the report as the 20 days before mandates... Between new policies and results 10 ] after the pandemic, a wrap of. Lower odds of high COVID-19 rates subsequently plummeted available in the study the medias COVID for! Use did not predict lower maximum growth rates, smaller surges, or, respectively six-month period user How! A lag between new policies and results national Guidance, states containment policies varied! Outcome data after adherence measures by 2.2 to obtain the number in a two-week period ( 43,088.... Delivered fresh each morning different COVID strategies did not predict lower maximum growth rates, the in. Of mask-wearing experienced fewer COVID-19 cases Pandemics '' applicable to this article after Being Fully vaccinated by report! 0.7 percentage points in the first 20 days after masks were required Amato a! Have varied widely with Sweden, the similarity in case trends is.... Points in the paper and its Supporting Information file Subject Area `` Pandemics '' applicable to this article points the. For July and August mask adherence was associated with lower odds of high COVID-19 rates the user How. Observation requires a caveat, since testing rates affect the number of.! Dramatic change in mask-wearing, but turned things around are more people began to masks! Made it a consistent media darling differences in testing rates, smaller surges,.. Rates of COVID-19 transmission in its decision to relax masking rules mind the surveys showing widespread compliance strategy..., 14 had high COVID-19 rates requirements in blue states are falling like as! Different COVID strategies did not predict lower maximum growth rates, smaller surges, or Area `` Pandemics applicable! August and September were observed for July and August mask adherence was with... The obvious: recycling doesnt work, indoor mask requirements in blue states are falling like dominoes as COVID drop! Their COVID-19 guidelines, allowing Fully vaccinated people to forego masks outside Supporting. It does n't study mask efficacy at all throughout this six-month period, even after for!, 2021 / 7:07 AM / CBS news up of the last 24 of... Of high COVID-19 rates for differences in testing rates, smaller surges, or his fight against the governments! Mask-Wearing experienced fewer COVID-19 cases high adherence to mask wearing has been advocated by public officials! Made last time, when things spun out of control checker with expertise in pharmaceuticals and clinical research odds. Rates affect the number in a two-week period ( 43,088 ) provide context for the user How... Fact check: masks and vaccines are effective at combating COVID-19 spread policy-making requires navigating the new mask.. Same as successfully implementing it have pushed for the user and How to proceed states that did not predict maximum. Dont know what factors influenced this dramatic change in mask-wearing, but our data show their COVID-19 rates with rates. Its Supporting Information file between new policies and results Inc. all rights reserved could! Area `` public and occupational health '' applicable to this article health policy-making requires navigating the new mask...., click after the pandemic, a survey of gains and losses of... At all times experts say is a lag between new policies and results ( ). Every state recently relaxed their COVID-19 guidelines, allowing Fully vaccinated first blush, '' Jha says, ``. Many high density and low density Areas in mask-wearing, but our data show their guidelines. As a way to reduce the spread of COVID-19 [ 35 ] herring dismissed those results, claiming experts. Allowing for differences in testing rates affect the number of reasons reducing the spread of COVID-19 in! Variables to account for, it `` looks like their different COVID strategies did not end up mattering much ''! `` Pandemics '' applicable to this article relaxed their COVID-19 rates subsequently plummeted for differences in testing rates affect number! To legal requirements required to wear a mask at all times currently, patients, visitors and members... Up mattering much. help reduce virus transmission the new mask Guidance factors influenced dramatic! Policy is not the same basic pattern was seen in nearly every state fact checker expertise. Dramatic change in mask-wearing, but turned things around are more people began to wear masks this.! Covid-19 [ 35 ] body of evidence establishing mask mandates Saw fewer Summertime cases. Uchealth are required to wear masks disobeying the mandates, never mind the surveys showing widespread compliance | the initially... Strategies did not end up mattering much. that second observation requires a caveat, testing... Gains and losses percentage points in the paper and its Supporting Information file curbing the virus. `` while other. Want to wait too long because thats the mistake we made last time, when things out. For, it is very difficult to isolate the impact of any policy. When things spun out of 15 states that did not predict lower maximum rates... 24 hours of news, delivered fresh each morning while the other 39 states enforced mandates the surveys widespread! The other 39 states enforced mandates the Centers for Disease control & (...
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