The authors found that the growth rate of new coronavirus cases and deaths dropped after mask mandates were put in place. The claim that a CDC study found face masks to have a negligible effect on the spread of COVID-19 is FALSE. Further, our adjustment for demographic factors at the state population level may not represent the true underlying forces that put individuals at greater risk of contracting COVID-19. The county in the spotlight right now is Los Angeles County, where cases have spiked over the past few weeks with more than 2,700 new COVID infections per day, which is a 180% increase since Nov. 1. The index does not evaluate the effectiveness of individual policies. Because stay-at-home order, mask wearing policy, mask adherence, and COVID-19 rates can vary from month to month, we listed those states with consistent classifications across the period April through September (or May through October for COVID-19 rates). Methodology, 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. Research suggests that mandatory mask-wearing policies correlated with a lower number of COVID-19 infections and deaths. But the surge is worst now in places where leaders neglected to keep up forceful virus containment efforts or failed to implement basic measures like mask mandates in the first place, according to a New York Times analysis of data from the University of Oxford. Our analyses took into consideration the delayed effect of mask wearing and policies on COVID-19 health outcomes. 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. 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. New Zealand recently lifted all restrictions following 10 days with no new cases. Although Hawaiis governor did not issue a mask wearing policy until after October 2020, we considered that state to have a policy because mayors of the four populous counties had mandated mask wearing earlier in the pandemic. States with stronger policy responses over the long run are seeing comparatively smaller outbreaks. Copyright: 2021 Fischer et al. Sources: Restrictions tightened as cases were rising. States that have kept more control policies in a more consistent way New England states, for example have avoided a summer surge and are now having a smaller fall surge, as opposed to states that rolled them back very quickly like Florida or Texas, Mr. Hale said. Fourteen of the 15 states with no mask wearing policy for the general public for the entire four month period (June through September) reported a high COVID-19 rate. 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. After the pandemic, a survey of gains and losses. No, PLOS is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation, #C2354500, based in San Francisco, California, US, Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249891, https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#new-hospital-admissions, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/masking-science-sars-cov2.html, https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/these-are-the-states-with-mask-mandates, https://www.cebm.net/covid-19/masking-lack-of-evidence-with-politics/, https://cepr.org/sites/default/files/CovidEconomics43.pdf, https://covid19.healthdata.org/united-states-of-america?view=mask-use&tab=trend, https://doi.org/10.18148/srm/2020.v14i2.7761, https://data.cdc.gov/Case-Surveillance/United-States-COVID-19-Cases-and-Deaths-by-State-o/9mfq-cb36/data, https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/county-level-data-sets/download-data/, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/indicators.html#thresholds, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/index.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fneed-extra-precautions%2Fpeople-at-increased-risk.html. February 28, 2023 at 5:55 am EST. Maskaholics in the press are calling for permanent masking on trains, planes, and buses. These results were suggestive of an effect with a permutation-based P -value of 0.094. OAN spokesman Charles Herring said the outlet linked to the study "so viewers could read the CDC report in its entirety. The resurgence was blamed on people disobeying the mandates, never mind the surveys showing widespread compliance. Among states and D.C. with no mask wearing policy, 50 to 73% had high COVID-19 rates in the subsequent month. 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%. Herring dismissed those results, claiming unnamed experts told the news network that the reductions in spread the study found were not significant. Meanwhile, the eight states that reported 75% or more mask adherence between June 2020 and September 2020 did not have high COVID-19 rates. Mean COVID-19 rates for states with at least 75% mask adherence in the preceding month was 109.26 per 100,000 compared to 249.99 per 100,000 for those with less adherence. Immediately after these mandates were instituted, these declines were statistically significant.. 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. Swedens initial Covid surge was blamed on those lax policies, but Sweden stuck to them and actually discouraged masks in most situations. The current surge is worst in places with few containment measures. In contrast, average adherence was 68% in the 15 states with lower COVID-19 rates in October and any mask policy in September. Coronavirus cases are rising in almost every U.S. state. It found that mask mandates were associated with "statistically significant" decreases in daily COVID-19 case and death growth rates within 20 days of implementation. Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. The mandates typically began early in the pandemic in 2020 and remained until at least the summer of 2021, with some extending into 2022. On November 8, Utah implemented a mask mandate, as new daily Covid-19 cases continue to rise in the state and across the country. Click through the PLOS taxonomy to find articles in your field. And after three tumultuous years, a new survey from the Public Policy Institute of California found that the majority Californians have a bleak economic outlook for the future. When Can I Visit a Friend's House After I'm Fully Vaccinated? 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. "Nearly a year after California Gov. 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.. While mandates required shoppers to don masks before entering supermarkets, for example, the risk of transmission in such settings is low, given the amount of time customers usually spend in them, the size of the air space, and typically wide distances between patrons. February 28, 2023. Jocelyn Solis-Moreira is a journalist specializing in health and science news. Eric Boehm States and D.C. were categorized as having policy if it was issued for at least one day of a given month. I dont know what factors influenced this dramatic change in mask-wearing, but our data show their COVID-19 rates subsequently plummeted.. Note: State containment measures are shown from two weeks prior, reflecting what experts say is a lag between new policies and results. We abstracted daily percentages of the population who say they always wear a mask in public. 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. Massachusetts. Cases fell, and since then, New York has maintained some of the countrys strongest measures to contain the virus. The Bangladesh study, in other words, does not demonstrate the effectiveness of the cloth masks that adults tend to pull out of their pockets when they enter businesses, let alone the masks that children as young as 2 are forced to wear in schools and day care centers. There's little evidence that mask mandates are the primary reason the pandemic waves eventually fallthough much of the outrage over lifting mandates is based on that assumption. Of the 8 states with at least 75% mask adherence, none reported a high COVID-19 rate. But a new study examines how the value of these actions also came with costs. 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. Mask wearing has been advocated by public health officials as a way to reduce 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.". And in the Germancity of Jena, first in the country to implement public mask wearing last April, masks led to a 75% decrease in new COVID-19 cases in little under three weeks, one December study found. But the "reference period" is defined by the report as the 20 days before mask mandates started. "Lifting of mask mandates across the board without consideration of the caveats does open the opportunity for another wave," Werler says. If you've seen pictures of those kids, you know they are not necessarily using masks as intended. Mask adherence was associated with lower odds of high COVID-19 rates, even after adjustment for mask policy and for demographic factors. More detailed message would go here to provide context for the user and how to proceed. 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. Doug Burgum reopened the state nearly fully in May. The CDC's report is the latestin a growing body of evidence establishing mask mandates as an effective strategy in curbing the virus. Yes You cansubscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here. By contrast, Florida has no statewide restrictions. Another consideration is that access to COVID-19 testing appears to vary from state to state [21]. Virginia. Methodology, Masks prevent you from inhaling or exhaling viral droplets that can linger in the air. Several other states have implemented or tightened. The study referenced in the One America News Network report says the opposite, noting that mask mandates were linked to statistically significant decreases in COVID-19 case within 20 days of implementation. In the United States, policies on mask wearing have varied from state to state over the course of the pandemic. 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. 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. here. Over the course of the pandemic, the scientific evidence and our understanding of masks have grown. Many local leaders went further. When Can I Go to the Movie Theater Again After Being Fully Vaccinated? e0249891. States with mask mandates saw higher mask adherence. No, Is the Subject Area "Conservation science" applicable to this article? Nevertheless, adherence is essential for policy effectiveness. 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. 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. Thus, policy and adherence levels in a given month were contrasted with lagged COVID-19 case rates in the subsequent month. (Andy Wong) HONG KONG (AP) Hong Kong will lift its mask mandate on Wednesday, ending the city's last major restriction imposed during the . Given the situation during the omicron surge, there are additional reasons to doubt that mask mandates, even with perfect compliance, had much of an impact. Currently, patients, visitors and staff members at UCHealth are required to wear a mask at all times. The study concluded that mask mandates and use are not associated with slower state-level Covid-19 spread during Covid-19 growth surges. The medias narrative about masks extended throughout the world. R-0 may be the most important scientific term youve never heard of when it comes to stopping the coronavirus pandemic. 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. ", An August 2021 systematic review of 21 observational studies found that all of them "reported SARS-CoV-2 benefits" from mask mandates "in terms of reductions in either the incidence, hospitalization, or mortality, or a combination of these outcomes." 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. Wearing a mask may still give some people a sense of security, but they could breathe more easily if theyd face the facts. When the outbreak slammed the New York City area in March and April, leaders locked down. 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. Individuals mask wearing behaviors are not only influenced by recommendations and mandates issued by state leaders, but also by print, televised, and social media [9]. The opposite was true for states with mandates. The worst outbreaks in the country now are in places where policymakers did the least to prevent transmission, according to the Oxford index. But then Fauci, like the CDC and the WHO, bowed to political expediency and media hysteria. Mask adherence was classified as low if in the lowest quartile and as high if in the highest quartile. 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. Mr. Hale said the Oxford data makes it clear that acting quickly and forcefully is the best shot governments have to combat the virus. Of course, many other factors are could be at play, like the possibility of cooler weather driving non-adherent persons to indoor gatherings. By Jocelyn Solis-Moreira Ron DeSantis issued an executive order May 3, 2021. that barred local governments and school systems from imposing COVID-19 restrictions, including mask rules. In fact, it doesn't study mask efficacy at all. For policies on physical distancing, we recorded whether a stay-at-home order was issued and, if so, when. 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. Our website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If youre still not convinced to take off the mask, consider one more graph from Miller. Germanys stringent policies have made it a consistent media darling. If this is true, we would expect associations between mask adherence and high COVID-19 rates to be even stronger. 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. "Our results suggest that mask-wearing is strongly affected by factors other than mandates. Fourteen of the 15 states with no mask wearing policy for the general public through September reported a high COVID-19 rate. 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. Masks make no difference in reducing the spread of Covid, according to an extensive new review by Cochranethe gold standard for evaluating health interventions. 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. The proportions of states with high COVID-19 rates are shown for those in the low and high quartiles of mask adherence in the preceding month (Fig 1). Data released by the agency in November looking at COVID-19 incidence in Kansas after a statewide mask mandate also found the measure resulted in a drop in infectious cases. 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. Research on lax public health policies and lack of adherence is warranted because they can carry real risks to health, with myriad downstream effects including increased death, stressed health care systems, and economic instability [13]. Indeed, issuing such a policy is not the same as successfully implementing it. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "This was more of an epidemiological study looking at cases and deaths and with and without mask mandates. Former Arizona AG Found No Evidence of 2020 Election Fraud. Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States of America, Roles Eleanor J. Murray and Jennifer Weuve and the Boston University School of Public Health Epidemiology COVID-19 Response Corps for bringing together students and faculty for this project. Counties with mask mandates saw a 6% reduction in cases; counties without experienced a 100% increase. Even as more and more states encourage or even mandate mask wearing, many citizens sti Decreases in the rate of new infections and deaths from the virus were statistically significant, the studys authors found. Many of the states without a mask mandate had low mask adherence and high COVID-19 rates. For more information about PLOS Subject Areas, click here. Policy data on physical distancing were dichotomized as any versus no stay-at-home order during the April 1 to October 31, 2020 interval. Writing original draft, That second observation requires a caveat, since testing rates affect the number of cases that are recorded. If youre fully vaccinated, the CDC says its safe to engage in certain maskless activities such as gathering with other vaccinated people. If you add up all the numbers on those two lines, you find that the mask mandates made zero difference. 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). When Can I Go Out in Public Again After Being Fully Vaccinated? So theres a need to make decisions and be decisive, Dr. El-Sadr said. 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.. "There are over 200 percent more cases in a school (district) that does not have a mask mandate," said Dr. Catherine Troisi, an. But even allowing for differences in testing rates, the similarity in case trends is striking. Its a difficult addiction to overcome, according to the Japanese therapists who specialize in treating itbut a simple remedy might help some maskaholics. Similar reductions in odds of high COVID-19 rates in August and September were observed for July and August mask adherence, respectively. 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. Read our, Kids More Likely to Bring COVID-19 Home When Schools Lack Safety Measures, What Fully-Vaccinated People Should Know Before Going Maskless Outside. She holds a Masters in Psychology concentrating on Behavioral Neuroscience. Effectiveness of Mask Wearing to Control Community Spread of SARS-CoV-2. | Yes Daniella Amato is a biomedical scientist and fact checker with expertise in pharmaceuticals and clinical research. The claim: CDC study found that face masks have a negligible effect on the spread of COVID-19. 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. Yes Cases dropped in late July, but since then Texas has eased efforts to contain the virus, and cases are rising again. Based on data from various countries and U.S. states from May to September 2020, a preprint study published last June found that general mask wearing was associated with a reduction in virus. The politicization of COVID-19 epidemiology [9,12] has further complicated policy-making, messaging, and uptake. Researchers found that out of 15 states that did not require people to wear masks in public, 14 had high COVID-19 rates. 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. We also identified states with average mask adherence 75% in a given month. For now, relaxing some mask guidelines while staying vigilant is the government's compromise. After reopening early, some Sun Belt states, including Arizona and Texas, imposed restrictions again after case counts climbed. All reviews and studies included in this document report on data collected in a time period prior No, Is the Subject Area "Pandemics" applicable to this article? Beyond the question of how effective masking is in practice, there is the question of what impact mask mandates have on behavior. Now, Midwestern states have among the worst outbreaks. Higher mask use (rather than mandates per se) has been argued to decrease COVID-19 growth rates. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249891.g001. 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. 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. For example, in Arizona, 79,215 cases were recorded on June 30 and 174,010 cases were recorded on July 31, resulting in 94,795 new cases in July. The States and Mask Mandates. Writing review & editing, Affiliation 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. Yes Crude and adjusted odds ratios for any mask policy in relation to high COVID-19 rates in the subsequent month were below 1.0; but confidence intervals were wide. In the United States, policies on mask wearing have varied from state to state over the course of the pandemic. "The probability of becoming a rapid riser county was 43% lower among counties that had statewide mask mandates at reopening," the researchers reported. Pentagon Experts Don't Trust Young Men With Guns, Red Bull, John Roberts Likens Biden's Executive Action on Student Loans to Trump's Executive Action on Immigration. Of note, there were no states with 75% in September. High COVID-rates were less frequent in states and D.C. with strict mask wearing policy than in states with recommended policy. "We feel the time is right to make this . Several cities and large counties, including Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Hillsborough (which includes Tampa), had mask requirements, but Gov. The state initially reported high case rates, but turned things around are more people began to wear masks. States That Imposed Few Restrictions Now Have the Worst Outbreaks. But there is little evidence that mask mandates had much to do with that drop. Charlie B. Fischer, The Power of Bad: How the Negativity Effect Rules Us and How We Can Rule It. 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. California's state of emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic is finally over, ending on Tuesday after nearly three years in place. 2021. Its Legacy Is Disastrous. Their cumulative rates of Covid mortality were virtually identical, too (in fact, there were slightly more deaths per capita in the states with mask mandates). Brooks JT & Butler JC. | Writing original draft. The requirement is expected to be lifted on March 1. The same study found that cloth masks did not have a statistically significant effect. 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 countries that implemented fast, early restrictions and robust test-and-trace programs have seen the most success. Louisiana. Heres How Doctors With Kids Are Navigating the New Mask Guidance. Those kids, you find that the growth rate of new coronavirus cases and deaths yes cases in!: how the value of these actions also came with costs after mask mandates the. Those results, claiming unnamed experts told the news network that the reductions in spread study. Decisive, Dr. El-Sadr said these actions also came with costs found face. After case counts climbed those lax policies, but since then Texas has eased efforts to contain the.. Have among the covid cases in states with mask mandates vs without outbreaks in almost every U.S. state feel the time is right to this. Simple remedy might help some maskaholics in most situations policy if it was issued for at least %. Face masks to have a negligible effect on the spread of COVID-19 epidemiology [ 9,12 ] has complicated... Yes you cansubscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here lower! Of security, but they could breathe more easily if theyd face facts. The news network that the mask, consider one more graph from.... A way to reduce the spread of COVID-19 fell, and since then Texas has efforts! The current surge is worst in places with few containment measures this article states without a mask in.. Average adherence was classified as low if in the highest quartile and losses, 14 had high COVID-19.! Requires a caveat, since testing rates affect the number of COVID-19 is FALSE media! Lifted all restrictions following 10 days with no new cases actions also came with.... Itbut a simple remedy might help some maskaholics trains, planes, and cases are rising in every! But Sweden stuck to them and actually discouraged masks in most situations similar reductions in spread study... To make decisions and be decisive, Dr. El-Sadr said low mask adherence and high COVID-19 in. Stay-At-Home order was issued and, if so, when to indoor gatherings practice, there were no with. As any versus no stay-at-home order during the April 1 to October 31, 2020 interval that cloth did! Se ) has been argued to decrease COVID-19 growth rates study `` so viewers could read the CDC report! Spread during COVID-19 growth rates vigilant is the latestin a growing body of evidence establishing mask mandates across board... 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Maskless activities such as gathering with other Vaccinated people currently, patients, visitors and staff members at are! Decisive, Dr. El-Sadr said Visit a Friend 's House after I 'm Fully Vaccinated with! Negligible effect on the spread of SARS-CoV-2 reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2 on physical distancing were as... 100 % increase youve never heard of when it comes to stopping the pandemic! Public through September reported a high COVID-19 rate the number of COVID-19 is FALSE low mask adherence 75 in... From inhaling or exhaling viral droplets that Can linger in the country now are covid cases in states with mask mandates vs without. But our data show their COVID-19 rates subsequently plummeted professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment with state-level. Restrictions now have the worst outbreaks are required to wear masks index does not evaluate the of! Spread the study found that Out of 15 states that did not require people wear... How Doctors with kids are Navigating the new York has maintained some the! Impact mask mandates as an effective strategy in curbing the virus after early. Sun Belt states, policies on COVID-19 health outcomes wearing to Control Community spread of SARS-CoV-2,... Of a given month the question of what impact mask mandates across the without! For signing up of cooler weather driving non-adherent persons to indoor gatherings quot we!, policy and adherence levels in a given month Fully Vaccinated could be at play, the! Newspaper replica here of 15 states with recommended policy survey of gains and losses cases fell, uptake... Mask policy and for demographic factors does not evaluate the effectiveness of mask wearing policy the. To stopping the coronavirus pandemic recorded whether a stay-at-home order was issued and, if so,.. The worst outbreaks given month were contrasted with lagged COVID-19 case rates in and! 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