Do Face Masks Create a False Sense of Security? A COVID-19 Dilemma

Abstract

Face masks have become an emblem of the public response to COVID-19, with many governments mandating their use in public spaces. The logic is that face masks are low cost and might help prevent some transmission. However, from the start, the assumption that face masks are "low cost" was questioned. Early on, there were warnings of the opportunity cost of public use of medical masks given shortages of personal protective equipment for healthcare providers. This led to recommendations for cloth masks and other face coverings, with little evidence of their ability to prevent transmission. However, there may also be a high cost to these recommendations if people rely on face masks in place of other more effective ways to break transmission, such as staying home. We use SafeGraph smart device location data to show that the representative American in states that have face mask mandates spent 20-30 minutes less time at home, and increase visits to a number of commercial locations, following the mandate. Since the reproductive rate of SAR-COV2, the pathogen that causes COVID-19 is hovering right around one, such substitution behavior could be the difference between controlling the epidemic and a resurgence of cases.

Face Mask Use and Physical Distancing before and after Mandatory Masking: Evidence from Public Waiting Lines

“…Kovacs et al (2020) use location data from Germany to show that the introduction of face mask mandates in Germany did not lead to a compensatory effect in individuals' mobility patterns in terms of time spent outside. In contrast to these, Yan et al (2020) argue that US Americans spent more time outside their homes after masks became mandatory in public spaces. Their empirical strategy does not preclude that mobility would have changed in this way also in the absence of masks.…”

Face masks to prevent transmission of respiratory diseases: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials*

“…Even though masks are currently mandated or recommended in several countries [7], the recommendations vary ( Figure 2). Also concerns over the potential harms have been voiced, such as possibility that face masks may spread COVID19 or masks may potentially create false sense of security [8].…”

Fostering online social capital during the COVID-19 pandemic and new normal

“…The ties in the family must be strengthened to protect the people in the house from the virus transmission (Bian, Miao, Lu, Ma, & Guo, 2020). Staying at home is a more effective protective behavior than just wearing a mask or washing hands (Yan, Bayham, Fenichel, & Richter, 2020). Trust in the government is enhanced through the attitude of everyone's compliance with public health indicators, with strengthening collective action to stop the virus spreading (Pitas & Ehmer, 2020).…”