Covid-19: Use of Masks in Public Areas Reduces Transmission by 40 Percent

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A German and Danish study found that the compulsory use of masks on public transportation and commercial spaces reduces the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus by about 40 percent.

The study published by the German Institute for Labor Economics shows that the use of masks in public spaces can decrease the incidence of new cases of Covid-19 by about half.

Researchers analyzed the compulsory introduction of masks in transportation and stores in Germany as part of this research.

Looking at new cases of the disease after the experiment, scientists stated that there is “strong and compelling statistical data” that masks “significantly reduce the number of pathological occurrences”.

The researchers from Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany, and Southern University of Denmark (SDU), pointed out that this was the first worldwide study to examine the impact of wearing masks in a real controlled environment.

On April 6th, in Jena, Germany, the use of masks in commercial areas and public transportats became mandatory, and the measure resulted in a dramatic decrease of new infections.

Meanwhile, on April 20th the German state of Saxony implemented the same measure and also saw a decrease in the number of infections. According to academics, the apparent progress in reducing the emergence of new Covid-19 cases was no coincidence.

In the study, researchers wrote: “the prompt introduction of facial masks in the city of Jena resulted in a reduction of almost 25 percent in the cumulative number of reported Covid-19 cases after 20 days.”

“The decrease was even more pronounced, over 50 percent, in individuals aged 60 and over. Wearing masks apparently contributed to a considerable drop in the transmission rate of SARS-CoV-2,” they concluded.