” The politicization of wearing a mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19 has directly contributed to our failure to control the spread of COVID-19. Medical and public health experts have been united on the importance of public masking since it became clear that the virus could spread before someone was visibly sick. And the data are clear: universal masking is effective at curbing the spread of COVID-19. A Health Affairs article that explored the patchwork state approach to universal masking as a natural experiment showed slower growth rates in states that had passed face mask mandates compared to those that did not. Universal masking policies were estimated to have prevented 230,000-450,000 COVID-19 cases by late May. ”
