Mask mandates and restaurant restrictions lower coronavirus cases and deaths, according to new research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
However, the report released Friday finds that the effects, though significant, are relatively small.
The CDC examined cases and deaths at the county level from March to December 2020 in the first 100 days after masks were mandated and restaurants were allowed to reopen. Counties in states that issued mask mandates saw COVID-19 cases drop by half of a percentage point in the first 20 days. The effect grew, topping out at a decline of 1.8 percentage points between days 81 and 100. Deaths dropped by 0.7 percentage points in the first 20 days and 1.9 percentage points in days 81-100.
STUDY FINDS IMMUNE RESPONSE STRONG AGAINST CORONAVIRUS VARIANTS
Reopening restaurants had no effect in the first 40 days. But cases climbed by 0.9 percentage points and deaths by 1.1 percentage points in days 41-60 in counties after restaurants reopened. Between days 81 and 100, cases and deaths climbed by 1.1 and 3.0 percentage points, respectively.
The results suggest that the impact of mask mandates and restaurant reopenings grows over time. More people may wear masks the longer that a mandate is in effect. It is also possible that restaurant customers and employees become less cautious the more time elapses from when state officials permitted eateries to reopen.
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The report has limitations. It was unable to account for the effect that other policies might have on case and death rates, such as the closing of other types of businesses or whether restaurants were allowed to open for only outdoor dining. Nor did the study examine local rates of adherence to mask mandates and occupancy requirements.
