Journal article
Community Use Of Face Masks And COVID-19: Evidence From A Natural Experiment Of State Mandates In The US: Study examines impact on COVID-19 growth rates associated with state government mandates requiring face mask use in public
Health Affairs, Vol.39(8), pp.1419-1425
08/01/2020
DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.2020.00818
PMID: 32543923
Abstract
State policies mandating public or community use of face masks or covers in mitigating the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are hotly contested. This study provides evidence from a natural experiment on the effects of state government mandates for face mask use in public issued by fifteen states plus Washington, D.C., between April 8 and May 15, 2020. The research design is an event study examining changes in the daily county-level COVID-19 growth rates between March 31 and May 22, 2020. Mandating face mask use in public is associated with a decline in the daily COVID-19 growth rate by 0.9, 1.1, 1.4, 1.7, and 2.0 percentage points in 1-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20, and 21 or more days after state face mask orders were signed, respectively. Estimates suggest that as a result of the implementation of these mandates, more than 200,000 COVID-19 cases were averted by May 22, 2020. The findings suggest that requiring face mask use in public could help in mitigating the spread of COVID-19.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Community Use Of Face Masks And COVID-19: Evidence From A Natural Experiment Of State Mandates In The US: Study examines impact on COVID-19 growth rates associated with state government mandates requiring face mask use in public
- Creators
- Wei Lyu - Wei Lyu is a research associate in the Department of Health Management and Policy, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, in Iowa City, IowaGeorge L Wehby - George L. Wehby is a professor in the Department of Health Management and Policy, College of Public Health, at the University of Iowa, and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Health Affairs, Vol.39(8), pp.1419-1425
- DOI
- 10.1377/hlthaff.2020.00818
- PMID
- 32543923
- NLM abbreviation
- Health Aff (Millwood)
- ISSN
- 0278-2715
- eISSN
- 1544-5208
- Publisher
- The People to People Health Foundation, Inc., Project HOPE
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 08/01/2020
- Academic Unit
- Preventive and Community Dentistry; Health Management and Policy; Economics; Public Policy Center (Archive)
- Record Identifier
- 9984214673502771
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