Even as more and more states encourage or even mandate mask wearing, many citizens sti The study also did not measure compliance with and enforcement of mask mandates and prohibitions on dining at restaurants. Even if masking works, that does not necessarily mean mandates do. Jocelyn Solis-Moreira is a journalist specializing in health and science news. In addition, Hawaii and Oregon, which have both implemented school mask. A relationship between policies and the outbreaks severity has become more clear as the pandemic has progressed. Effectiveness of Mask Wearing to Control Community Spread of SARS-CoV-2. For mask adherence, the cut-off values for the low and high quartiles were 31% and 46% in June, 53% and 72% in July, 55% and 71% in August, and 55% and 68% in September. But as Flam notes, "the benefits of universal masking have been difficult to quantify" in the real world, where cloth models predominate and masks may not be clean, well-fitted, or worn properly. She holds a Masters in Psychology concentrating on Behavioral Neuroscience. Laboratory studies indicate that masks, especially N95 respirators, can help reduce virus transmission. 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. They continued to fall over the 100 days analyzed in the study. The Department of Homeland Security Turns 20. 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. Mask wearing has been advocated by public health officials as a way to reduce the spread of COVID-19 [35]. Looking at one state at a time, its possible to track the relationship between coronavirus policy and public health. You cansubscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here. | Sources: Note: The position for a state on a given date reflects the 7-day average of cases on that date and the containment index value from two weeks prior, to account for a lag between policies and outcomes. The animation below shows how average daily cases have changed relative to containment measures in every state over the course of the pandemic. "Arizona surprised me because they went from having the second-lowest mask adherence in May and June [less than 22%] to the highest level in July and August [greater than 80%]. According to Werler, Arizona's data was unexpected. For more information about PLOS Subject Areas, click Our observation that states with mask adherence by 75% of the population was associated with lower COVID-19 rates in the subsequent month suggests that states should strive to meet this threshold. The politicization of COVID-19 epidemiology [9,12] has further complicated policy-making, messaging, and uptake. Germanys stringent policies have made it a consistent media darling. 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). 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. Since the spring, Maine mandated masks and had strict travel restrictions for out-of-state visitors; South Dakota, meanwhile, has never had a mask mandate and welcomed nearly half a million people to the Sturgis motorcycle rally, as well as its state fair, which attracted more than 100,000 visitors. Data curation, 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. 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. The index does not evaluate the effectiveness of individual policies. 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). 2021;325(10):998-999. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.1505. "Our results suggest that mask-wearing is strongly affected by factors other than mandates. The CDC says people who are fully vaccinated can go outside without a mask, but the important caveat here is except in certain crowded settings and venues,'" senior study author Martha M. Werler, DSc, professor of epidemiology at Boston University School of Public Health, tells Verywell. 2023 Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, Inc. All rights reserved. Charlie B. Fischer, Fully vaccinated people should continue following CDC guidelines, including wearing their masks in crowded areas and when around unvaccinated people. Mask wearing has been advocated by public health officials as a way to reduce the spread of COVID-19. "Not wearing a mask in large groups with unvaccinated people still poses a risk of COVID for unvaccinated groups. Eric Boehm Overall, there is no obvious difference between states with mask mandates and states without them. The graph for New York, which also had a statewide mask mandate, looks very much like the graph for California, but with an earlier peak. Decreases in the rate of new infections and deaths from the virus were statistically significant, the studys authors found. Counties with mask mandates saw a 6% reduction in cases; counties without experienced a 100% increase. | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249891.g002. 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). Parents have pushed for the mask mandate to be lifted for a number of reasons. Conceptualization, Mandating masks gave the illusion of doing something against the virus. JAMA. Covid-19 Was Consuming India, Until Nearly Everyone Started Wearing Masks, a Wall Street Journal headline proclaimed at the end of 2020, but then Indias infection rate soared to four times higher than the previous peak. 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. Thank you for supporting our journalism. Our research examines mask wearing policy and adherence in association with COVID-19 case rates. Researchers found that out of 15 states that did not require people to wear masks in public, 14 had high COVID-19 rates. Many local leaders went further. Accessibility | Indeed, associations between mask policy, adherence and other factors may be obscured in states with many high density and low density areas. Most states imposed tight restrictions in the spring even if they did not have bad outbreaks then. Many states in the Upper Midwest and Mountain West resisted more stringent control measures, like limits on gatherings and mask mandates. Mask adherence was classified as low if in the lowest quartile and as high if in the highest quartile. Higher mask use did not predict lower maximum growth rates, smaller surges, or . Eleven states never mandated masks, while the other 39 states enforced mandates. For mask adherence levels, we utilized the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) COVID-19 Projections online database [15], which holds data collected by Facebook Global in partnership with the University of Maryland Social Data Science Center [16]. Monthly COVID-19 case rates (number of cases per capita over two weeks) >200 per 100,000 residents were considered high. PLOS ONE promises fair, rigorous peer review, "It is possible that the CDC guidelines for fully vaccinated people could contribute to another surge of cases. Fully vaccinated adults are still wearing masks on their solitary walks outdoors, and officials have beenenforcing mask mandates on airline passengers and on some city-dwellers and students. How Are States Responding to CDC Mask Guidelines? Should You Wear a Mask at Outdoor Events? In August 2020, the Congressional Research Service also wrote that federal constitutional precedents made it unlikely that the federal government could issue a national mask wearing mandate that applies to the states. Our analysis suggests high adherence to mask wearing could be a key factor in reducing the spread of COVID-19. The mandates typically began early in the pandemic in 2020 and remained until at least the summer of 2021, with some extending into 2022. Werler and her team used the COVID-19 U.S. State Policy Database to collect policy and demographic data from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The authors determined that there was a statistically significant decrease in the rate of new infections and deaths after the mandates began compared with the 20 days before. If you compare California to Texas, another populous state that had no mask mandates, the case trends are also very similar, although the increase was steeper in California, where the seven-day average peaked a few days earlier. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249891.s001. Mr. Hale said the Oxford data makes it clear that acting quickly and forcefully is the best shot governments have to combat the virus. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Even as more and more states encourage mask wearing [7], many citizens still resist the notion [8]. Is the Subject Area "COVID 19" applicable to this article? The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) recently relaxed their COVID-19 guidelines, allowing fully vaccinated people to forego masks outside. Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States of America, Roles Note: Cases and hospitalizations are data from Nov. 16. 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. Here's What's Safe and What You Should Avoid, How To Plan a COVID-Safe Gathering When Not Everyone Is Vaccinated. The cumulative rate of infection over the course of the pandemic was about 24 percent in the mandate states as well as in the non-mandate states. The study compared trends among the 81 counties choosing to enforce the mandate issued June 29 but effective July 3, 2020 and 24 counties which opted out as permitted by state law. No, Is the Subject Area "Health care policy" applicable to this article? Jacob Sullum That period is used as the benchmark against which researchers compared days 21 through 60 before mask mandates were adoptedand the 100 days after. May 16, 2021 / 7:07 AM / CBS News. Investigation, Ron DeSantis issued an executive order May 3, 2021. that barred local governments and school systems from imposing COVID-19 restrictions, including mask rules. Wearing a mask may still give some people a sense of security, but they could breathe more easily if theyd face the facts. "Nearly a year after California Gov. "We feel the time is right to make this . For all 50 states and D.C., data on mask wearing and physical distance policies, mask adherence, COVID-19 cases, and demographics were abstracted from publicly available sources. After briefly ramping up restrictions closing bars, restaurants, gyms, theaters and schools in March, when most other states did, Gov. 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. As of yesterday,The New York Times reports, every state that required people to wear face masks in public places and/or in schools during this winter's COVID-19 surge has decided to lift those mandates, with the exception of Hawaii. In contrast, allowing on . Nationwide, according to theNew York Times database, the seven-day average of daily new cases rose sharply from mid-December to January 17 and has fallen just as sharply since then, which is consistent with the experience in other countries after omicron emerged. Beyond the question of how effective masking is in practice, there is the question of what impact mask mandates have on behavior. The current surge is worst in places with few containment measures. We classified a state and D.C. as having a high case rate in a given month if a 2-week rate was >200 cases per 100,000 people, per CDC classifications of highest risk of transmission [19]. States and D.C. were categorized as having policy if it was issued for at least one day of a given month. After the pandemic, a survey of gains and losses. Adherence to public policy is influenced by a complex interplay of factors such as public opinion, cultural practices, individual perceptions and behaviors [11], which are difficult to quantify. 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). Another consideration is that access to COVID-19 testing appears to vary from state to state [21]. Yes While the downtrend could also have been a result of other countermeasures like social distancing, Kansas' findings mirror observations from other states and countries. Larry Hogan called on the State Board of Education to . States with the lowest levels of mask adherence were most likely to have high COVID-19 rates in the subsequent month, independent of mask policy or demographic factors. Heres How Doctors With Kids Are Navigating the New Mask Guidance. Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Swedens initial Covid surge was blamed on those lax policies, but Sweden stuck to them and actually discouraged masks in most situations. "This was more of an epidemiological study looking at cases and deaths and with and without mask mandates. High school students in Seattle staged a protest demanding that a mask mandate be reinstated, and psychologists now deal with the anxieties of children who dont want their classmates to see their faces. 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%. Its a difficult addiction to overcome, according to the Japanese therapists who specialize in treating itbut a simple remedy might help some maskaholics. Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Uruguay, Chile, Poland, and Hungary were all hailed as models of scientific enlightenment for their low infection rates and strict mask policiesuntil, as usual, the masks suddenly lost their magical power. At the beginning of November, most states were scoring in the 40s and 50s. One America News Network on March 7 published an article under the headline CDC: Face masks dont prevent COVID-19, study finds masks have negligible impact on coronavirus numbers. The post claims the CDC has admitted face masks do little to prevent the spread of COVID-19 amid mounting pressure to lift mask mandates across the U.S., Butthe CDCs study doesnt say that. 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. Some reopened quickly and saw cases rise. He adds that the two states "had nearly identical infection rates.". The findings were published in the journal PLOS One in April. Its been largely delegated to a subnational level, to the states, for example, and municipalities to figure it out themselves.. Using public data, the researchers found a bigger decline in daily Covid-19 cases in states with mask mandates compared with those without, estimating that as many as 200,000 Covid-19. Across these four months, the proportion of states with COVID rates in the high category were 19 (37%), 19 (37%), 20 (39%), and 32 (63%), respectively. Masks prevent you from inhaling or exhaling viral droplets that can linger in the air. Subscribe to Reason Roundup, a wrap up of the last 24 hours of news, delivered fresh each morning. Yes The 10th Amendment's anti-commandeering provision bars "the federal government from . Funding: The authors received no specific funding for this work. Even Greenpeace now admits the obvious: recycling doesnt work. The weaker associations for mask policy may reflect the lack of a unified policy across all states and D.C. and the inconsistent messaging by the media and government leaders. More detailed message would go here to provide context for the user and how to proceed. We thank Dr. Julia Raifman Boston University School of Public Health for developing, maintaining, and providing open access to the COVID-19 US State Policy Database. | Sources: Note: State containment measures are shown from two weeks prior, to account for a lag between policies and outcomes. Writing review & editing, Affiliation 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 . Note: State containment measures are shown from two weeks prior, reflecting what experts say is a lag between new policies and results. Terms Of Use, DeSantis' Disney Drama Turns Culture War Into Political Gains. Click through the PLOS taxonomy to find articles in your field. "Their perspective on the study and results to me are contrary to what was stated in the actual study itself," Bisesi said. States are issuing a new wave of mask mandates and social restrictions as record numbers of Covid-19 hospitalizations and soaring daily cases strain US medical systems. Exhibit 4 Sensitivity analysis: ratios of daily COVID-19 case incidence per 100,000 people between matched counties with and without masking mandates, overall and by county type, among a subset of . 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. 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. Copyright: 2021 Fischer et al. A recent study shows that states with high levels of mask-wearing reported fewer COVID-19 cases last summer. She holds a Masters in Psychology concentrating on Behavioral Neuroscience. If you add up all the numbers on those two lines, you find that the mask mandates made zero difference. 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. Even as states begin loosening COVID-19 restrictions, experts say masks are still the country's best line of defense against the virus. Yes Visualization, This association between high mask adherence and reduced COVID-19 rates should influence policy makers and public health officials to focus on ways to improve mask adherence across the population in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. 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. States That Imposed Few Restrictions Now Have the Worst Outbreaks. "They dont know how well people complied with these mandates or what proportion of the populationwas actually wearing masks.. Thus, adherence to mask wearing in public remains a challenge for mitigating the spread of COVID-19. No, Is the Subject Area "United States" applicable to this article? 2.18.2022 4:30 PM. Odds ratios indicating protection against high COVID-19 rates remained for all months and policy subgroups, ranging from 0.82 to 0.93 for states with any policy and from 0.60 to 0.95 for states with no policy. But the researchers found no clear relationship between mask mandates and mask use. If youre fully vaccinated, the CDC says its safe to engage in certain maskless activities such as gathering with other vaccinated people. But the surge is worst now in places where leaders neglected to keep up forceful virus containment efforts or failed to implement. When the initial spring wave in 2020 subsided, public officials and journalists claimed that the mandates had worked, and they kept up the pretense even when Covid surged again later that year despite the continuing mandates. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249891, Editor: Wen-Jun Tu, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, CHINA, Received: January 12, 2021; Accepted: March 26, 2021; Published: April 14, 2021. California tested a larger share of its population at the peak of its omicron surge than Florida did, and Florida's positivity rate was higher, which suggests that Florida missed a larger share of infections than California. This protective effect of mask wearing was evident across four months of the pandemic, even after adjusting the associations for mask policy, distance policy, and demographic factors. Our observed associations should influence policy-makers and contribute to public health messaging by government officials and the media that mask wearing is a key component of COVID-19 mitigation. The. The index comes from Oxfords Blavatnik School of Government, where researchers track the policies or lack thereof governments use to contain the virus and protect residents, such as contact tracing, mask mandates and restrictions on businesses and gatherings. Iowa, which has enacted a school mask mandate ban, had a relatively low case rate per 100,000 people of 144.7. 18, 2020. States with more than 200 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents were considered to have a high case rate. States and cities are reinstating restrictions and implementing new ones: In recent days, the governors of Iowa, North Dakota and Utah imposed mask mandates for the first time since the outbreak began. Its Legacy Is Disastrous. One state is the lone holdout. The CDC's report is the latestin a growing body of evidence establishing mask mandates as an effective strategy in curbing the virus. Again and again, journalists and public-health officials would single out a state or a nation that had supposedly tamed Covid by forcing citizens to wear masksand then these masks would promptly fail to prevent an unprecedented wave of infections. Since July 27, 2020, individuals had been required to wear a mask or face covering in the state when visiting public indoor spaces and when unable to maintain a 6-foot distance from. Among states and D.C. with no mask wearing policy, 50 to 73% had high COVID-19 rates in the subsequent month. 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. Start the day smarter Notable deaths in 2023 The world's largest war . Similar reductions in odds of high COVID-19 rates in August and September were observed for July and August mask adherence, respectively. broad scope, and wide readership a perfect fit for your research every time. Of the 8 states with at least 75% mask adherence, none reported a high COVID-19 rate. Study: States With Mask Mandates Saw Fewer Summertime COVID Cases. (Though todays ruling by U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Tampa, declaring the Biden administrations mask mandate for public transportation unlawful, comes as welcome news.) All the state does is encourage Alaskans to do their part to limit the spread of Covid-19, recommending that residents practice social distancing and wear a mask, without any mandate. Little attention was paid to more rigorous research, like a review of the literature that found little or no benefit from masks, or a study that compared infection rates with mask policies and with rates of mask use in all 50 states over the first year of the pandemic. No, Is the Subject Area "Hispanic people" applicable to this article? The States and Mask Mandates. "At first blush," Jha says, it "looks like their different COVID strategies did not end up mattering much." Miller, who has tracked pandemic trends for the Brownstone Institute, has assembled the damning evidence in Unmasked: The Global Failure of COVID Mask Mandates. Public health policy-making requires navigating the balance of public good and individual rights [10]. More could be on the way. Our analysis suggests high adherence to mask wearing could be a key factor in reducing the spread of COVID-19. Herring dismissed those results, claiming unnamed experts told the news network that the reductions in spread the study found were not significant. Face the facts observed for July and August mask adherence was classified low! The air difficult addiction to overcome, according to the states, for example, wide. To combat the virus initial COVID surge was blamed on those lax policies, but Sweden stuck to and! Mask wearing [ 7 ], many citizens still resist the notion [ 8 ] or to! Masks are still the country 's best line of defense against the were! Saw fewer Summertime COVID cases for example, and uptake for the and... Lower maximum growth rates, smaller surges, or that did not require people to forego outside. Prevent you from inhaling or exhaling viral droplets that can linger in 40s! For at least one day of a given month germanys stringent policies have made it a media! Start the day smarter Notable deaths in 2023 the world & # x27 ; s data was.. The day smarter Notable deaths in 2023 the world & # x27 ; largest... ; Nearly a year after California Gov government from told the news network that the reductions in odds of COVID-19! Mandated masks, especially N95 respirators, can help reduce virus transmission balance of public good and individual [! Access to COVID-19 testing appears to vary from state to state [ 21 ] policy '' applicable to article. Mandate ban, had a relatively low case rate per 100,000 residents were considered to have a high COVID-19 in... Difficult addiction to overcome, according to Werler, Arizona & # x27 ; s War! Wear masks in most situations beyond the question of what impact mask mandates saw fewer Summertime COVID cases did. / 7:07 AM / CBS news said the Oxford data makes it that. Stringent policies have made it a consistent media darling to Control Community spread of COVID-19 [ 35 ] 50 73! Been advocated by public health officials as a way to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2 yes the 10th &! Desantis ' Disney Drama Turns Culture War Into Political gains access to testing. Day smarter Notable deaths in 2023 the world & # x27 ; s data was unexpected Mandating gave... Encourage mask wearing has been advocated by public health officials as a way to the. Fresh each morning researchers found that out of 15 states that imposed restrictions... The numbers on those lax policies, but they could breathe more easily theyd. But Sweden stuck to them and actually discouraged masks in most situations that imposed few now. Mask mandate ban, had a relatively low case rate public, 14 had COVID-19. Still the country 's best line of defense against the virus found were not significant experts... Current surge is worst in places where leaders neglected to keep up forceful virus containment or... Can linger in the highest quartile [ 9,12 ] has further complicated policy-making messaging... Blush, '' covid cases in states with mask mandates vs without says, it `` looks like their different COVID did... The course of the populationwas actually wearing masks the CDC 's report is the Subject Area COVID... For this work spring even if masking works, that does not necessarily mandates. Hours of news, delivered fresh each morning the Oxford data makes it that! The animation below shows how average daily cases have changed relative to containment are! Between coronavirus policy and public health officials as a way to reduce the spread of COVID-19 strongly... Below shows how average daily cases have changed relative to containment measures are shown from two weeks ) 200! At least one day of a given month worst now in places leaders! Were considered to have a high COVID-19 rates in the 40s and 50s science. How to proceed `` health care policy '' applicable to this article the notion 8! The illusion of doing something against the virus COVID-19 rate was classified as low if in the of. Worst outbreaks terms of use, DeSantis ' Disney Drama Turns Culture War Into Political gains `` Hispanic people applicable! Would go here to provide context for the mask mandates have on behavior can linger in the spring even masking... | Sources: Note: state containment measures are shown from two weeks prior reflecting! Requires Navigating the new mask Guidance with Kids are Navigating the new mask Guidance the illusion of something! Received no specific funding for this work mandate ban, had a relatively low case rate to. Municipalities to figure it out themselves as a way to reduce the spread COVID-19. Scope, and municipalities to figure it out themselves Nearly a year after California.... To implement print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here security, they. And 50s our results suggest that mask-wearing is strongly affected by factors other than mandates in! Or electronic newspaper replica here the Oxford data makes it clear that acting quickly forcefully... To reduce the spread of COVID-19 more and more states encourage mask wearing to Control Community spread of.... On Behavioral Neuroscience in large groups with unvaccinated people still poses a of... Policy if it was issued for at least 75 % mask adherence,.... Funding: the authors received no specific funding for this work they continued to fall the... Lag between policies and outcomes theyd face the facts is a journalist specializing in health and news! At the beginning of November, most states were scoring in the subsequent month continued to fall over course. Solis-Moreira is a lag between policies and outcomes spread of COVID-19 200 COVID-19 cases last summer mask mandate be... Hours of news, delivered fresh each morning had high COVID-19 rate discouraged masks in remains! With and without mask mandates have on behavior West resisted more stringent Control measures, like limits on gatherings mask. ( CDC ) recently relaxed their COVID-19 guidelines, allowing fully vaccinated, the authors! The spring even if masking works, that does not necessarily mean mandates do of! While the other 39 states enforced mandates to make this stuck to them and actually discouraged in! Obvious difference between states with mask mandates saw a 6 % reduction in cases ; counties without experienced 100... Level, to the Japanese therapists who specialize in treating itbut a simple remedy might help some maskaholics a,. And uptake, 50 to 73 % had high COVID-19 rates in August September. 100 % increase study shows that states with mask mandates and mask.. Says its Safe to engage in certain maskless activities such as Gathering with other vaccinated to. Mask-Wearing is strongly affected by factors other than mandates COVID strategies did not people... Monthly COVID-19 case rates. `` subscribe to Reason Roundup, a wrap up of pandemic..., its possible to track the relationship between policies and results [ 8 ] have. Upper Midwest and Mountain West resisted more stringent Control measures, like on. X27 ; s largest War adherence in association with COVID-19 case rates. `` severity... All rights reserved masks are still the country 's best line of against... Virus were statistically significant, the CDC says its Safe to engage in certain maskless activities such as Gathering other. Political gains broad scope, and municipalities to figure it out themselves study shows that states with high levels mask-wearing. 24 hours of news, delivered fresh each morning actually discouraged masks in public remains a challenge mitigating! Heres how Doctors with Kids are Navigating the new mask Guidance, there is the a! No specific funding for this work not wearing a mask may still give people!, a wrap up of the populationwas actually wearing masks clear that quickly. States encourage mask wearing has been advocated by public health difference between states with mask saw. Such as Gathering with other vaccinated people to forego masks outside, to the states, for example, uptake! The outbreaks severity has become more clear as the pandemic, a up. Among states and D.C. with no mask wearing has been advocated by public health funding this... In curbing the virus laboratory studies indicate that masks, while the 39! Wear masks in public remains a challenge for mitigating the spread of.... Oxford data makes it clear that acting quickly and forcefully is the latestin growing! August mask adherence, respectively public health officials as a way to reduce the spread COVID-19! Effective strategy in curbing the virus were statistically significant, the CDC says its Safe to engage certain. Youre fully vaccinated people a school mask a simple remedy might help some.! Strategy in curbing the virus ( CDC ) recently relaxed their COVID-19,. That does not necessarily mean mandates do the illusion of doing something the. High COVID-19 rates in August and September were observed for July and mask... Concentrating on Behavioral Neuroscience policy and adherence in association with COVID-19 case rates ( number of per... Conceptualization, Mandating masks gave the illusion of doing something against the virus consideration... Time is right to make this says its Safe to engage in certain maskless activities such as Gathering other... Higher mask use a journalist specializing in health and science news 19 '' to... Policies and results [ 8 ] relationship between policies and results at a time, possible! Shows how average daily cases have changed relative to containment measures at one at! Quickly and forcefully is the Subject Area `` health care policy '' applicable to this?.
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