A Few Good Masks: Evidence from Mask Manufacturing in Rwanda during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Kieran Thomas Byrne, Florence Kondylis, John Ashton Loeser and Denis Mukama

No 9993, Policy Research Working Paper Series from The World Bank

Abstract: Did increases in mask supply slow the spread of COVID-19 Rwanda licensed and incentivized textile manufacturers to produce high-quality masks at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper exploits spatial variation in exposure to mask manufacturing through textile trade networks within an event-study design using receipt-level tax data. Licensing domestic mask manufacturers conservatively reduced mask prices by 8.8% and reduced monthly growth in COVID-19 infections (proxied by demand for anti-fever medicine) by 12%. The dynamics of the results suggest that increased mask quality explains reduced infections, in a context where there was strict enforcement of mask mandates and informal markets for masks.

Date: 2022-04-04
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