Mask Mandates and COVID-19 Related Symptoms in the US

Abstract

Purpose

This study investigates the extent to which the Public Mask Mandate, a policy that requires the use of face masks in public, can protect people from developing COVID-19 symptoms during the initial stage of the pandemic from mid-April to early June 2020 in the United States (US).

Methods

We employ the difference-in-differences model that exploits the differential timing of the mask mandate implementation across states.

Results

Our findings show that the Public Mask Mandate significantly lowers the incidence of developing all COVID-19 symptoms by 0.29 percentage points. The estimate implies an average reduction of 290%, compared to the proportion of the mandate-unaffected individuals who display all symptoms (0.1%).

Conclusion

The study provides suggestive evidence for the health benefits of wearing masks in public in the initial stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also highlights the relevance of public mask wearing for the ongoing pandemic where the vaccination rate is precarious and access to vaccines is still limited in many countries.

Keywords:

• COVID-19
• coronavirus symptoms
• mask mandates
• face masks

Acknowledgments

The study was supported by The Youth Incubator for Science and Technology Programe, managed by Youth Development Science and Technology Center - Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and Department of Science and Technology of Ho Chi Minh City, the contract number is “10/2020/HĐ-KHCNT-VƯ ngày 30 tháng 12 năm 2020”.

Disclosure

The author reports no conflicts of interest in this work.