Face Masks, Public Policies and Slowing the Spread of COVID-19: Evidence from Canada

Alexander Karaivanov, Hitoshi Shigeoka, Shih En Lu (), Cong Chen and Stephanie Pamplona
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Shih En Lu: Simon Fraser University
Cong Chen: Simon Fraser University
Stephanie Pamplona: Simon Fraser University

Discussion Papers from Department of Economics, Simon Fraser University

Abstract: We estimate the impact of mask mandates and other non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) on COVID-19 case growth in Canada, including regulations on businesses and gatherings, school closures, travel and self-isolation, and long-term care homes. We partially account for behavioral responses using Google mobility data. Our identification approach exploits variation in the timing of indoor face mask mandates staggered over two months in the 34 public health regions in Ontario, Canada's most populous province. We find that, in the first few weeks after implementation, mask mandates are associated with a reduction of 25 percent in the weekly number of new COVID-19 cases. Additional analysis with province-level data provides corroborating evidence. Counterfactual policy simulations suggest that mandating indoor masks nationwide in early July could have reduced the weekly number of new cases in Canada by 25 to 40 percent in mid-August, which translates into 700 to 1,100 fewer cases per week.

Keywords: COVID-19; face mask mandates; non-pharmaceutical interventions; counterfactuals (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C23 I12 I18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Face masks, public policies and slowing the spread of COVID-19: Evidence from Canada (2021)
Working Paper: Face Masks, Public Policies and Slowing the Spread of COVID-19: Evidence from Canada (2020)
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