How Much Can Masks Help?

30 seconds

Researchers found that after people in the German city of Jena were required to wear masks on public transport and in shops beginning on April 6, new COVID-19 infections there dropped by nearly 25 percent and almost disappeared. Masks were adopted elsewhere in Germany days or weeks later, but the virus continued to spread in many of those areas. Researchers from the Institute of Labor Economics in Bonn concluded that what happened in Jena, a city of 108,000, provides evidence of the ability of masks to help slow the spread of COVID-19. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that since people may spread the virus before they develop symptoms – or even if they never have symptoms – wearing a mask may allow you to protect others and vice versa.

Source:
Timo Mitze et al “Face Masks Considerably Reduce COVID-19 Cases in Germany: A Synthetic Control Method Approach”, JUNE 2020, Institute of Labor Economics. ftp.iza.org/dp13319.pdf