The 5 states that lifted their mask mandates in February and March (IA, ND, MT, MS, TX) also saw a similar continued decline in cases, even more so than masked states.
(the bump in early Mar was due to the Texas power crisis) pic.twitter.com/zru9aTnW9a
— Youyang Gu (@youyanggu) May 11, 2021
This is of course a simplified study but it closely mirrors the flawed CDC study from March which many news organizations and experts cited as a reason to keep mask mandates.
If you follow me, you probably know rule #1: correlation != causation.t.co/K9D2ZAZOJt
— Youyang Gu (@youyanggu) May 11, 2021
Unintended consequences of policies have been well studied. Banning alcohol -> more alcohol consumption. Raising taxes -> more tax evasion. Adding highway lanes -> more traffic.
I think it's important to acknowledge this complexity, rather than think of the benefits in a vacuum.
— Youyang Gu (@youyanggu) May 11, 2021
In the weeks ahead, we’ll probably see more politicized debates about mask mandates. But let’s first look at the data!
Below are COVID-19 cases over the past months for states that kept vs dropped mask mandates.
Cases are dropping regardless of the presence of mask mandates.
AC