Compulsory face masks helped cut German Covid-19 infections by almost 50 per cent, study finds
- Study concludes masks are one of the most cost-effective ways to fight the disease with a cost that is ‘close to zero’ compared with other measures
- Study looked at data from over 400 municipal districts and found that some cities saw infections fall by up 75pc within 20 days
Face masks helped reduce the number of new Covid-19 infections in Germany by around 47 per cent 20 days after they became mandatory, according to a new study.
The researchers said masks are a cost-effective means to combat the coronavirus because the “economic costs are close to zero compared to other public health measures,” including closures of restaurants and schools, gathering bans, social distancing rules and quarantine.
The study compared data from 401 German municipal districts that made mask-wearing compulsory at different times.
While mask wearing has been widely accepted in some parts of the world such as east Asia, in others many remain sceptical about the benefits and governments have been unsure whether to make them compulsory.
The World Health Organization on Wednesday tightened guidelines to advise people in health facilities and poorly ventilated indoor areas to wear masks when Covid-19 is known or suspected to be spreading.
The virus has infected nearly 66 million people worldwide and killed more than 1.5 million, with the United States, India and Brazil hardest hit. In Germany there have been more than 1.5 million Covid-19 cases and over 18,500 deaths.