Study finds mask mandates have no substantial effect on slowing COVID-19 spread

With students finally headed back to school for the fall, debate is raging nationwide over whether K-12 children should be required to wear face masks to reduce the spread of COVID-19. But a peer-reviewed study suggests that mask use and requirements during the pandemic had no substantial impact on reducing the spread of the virus.

Researchers from the University of Louisville examined COVID-19 case growth and mask use in the United States, comparing states with mask mandates to states without, and found that "mask mandates and use likely did not affect COVID-19 case growth."

"For our study, we wanted to determine if effects of mask mandates and use were observable in the general population," Dr. Damian Guerra, an assistant professor of biology at the University of Louisville, said. "Essentially, did the theory of mask effectiveness hold up on a population-wide level?"