Face Masks, Public Policies and Slowing the Spread of COVID-19: Evidence from Canada | NLM

Disaster Information Management Research Center | NLM

Face Masks, Public Policies and Slowing the Spread of COVID-19: Evidence from Canada

10/01/2020 12:00 AM EDT

Source: National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). Published: 10/2020. This 68-page report estimates the impact of mask mandates and other non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) on COVID-19 case growth in Canada, including regulations on businesses and gatherings, school closures, travel and self-isolation, and long-term care homes. Counterfactual policy simulations suggest that mandating indoor masks nationwide in early July could have reduced the weekly number of new cases in Canada by 25 to 40 percent in mid-August, which translates into 700 to 1,100 fewer cases per week. (PDF)