Gery P. Guy Jr., PhD; Florence C. Lee, MPH; Gregory Sunshine, JD; Russell McCord, JD; Mara Howard-Williams, JD; Lyudmyla Kompaniyets, PhD; Christopher Dunphy, PhD; Maxim Gakh, JD; Regen Weber; Erin Sauber-Schatz, PhD; John D. Omura, MD; Greta M. Massetti,

Abstract

Universal masking and avoiding nonessential indoor spaces are recommended to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Mandating masks was associated with a decrease in daily COVID-19 case and death growth rates within 20 days of implementation. Allowing on-premises restaurant dining was associated with an increase in daily COVID-19 case growth rates 41–100 days after implementation and an increase in daily death growth rates 61–100 days after implementation.

Mask mandates and restricting any on-premises dining at restaurants can help limit community transmission of COVID-19 and reduce case and death growth rates. These findings can inform public policies to reduce community spread of COVID-19.

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More on: Masks