Fighting Against COVID-19 Requires Wearing a Face Mask by Not Some but All

Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, Forthcoming

28 Pages Posted: 11 Sep 2020 Last revised: 4 Dec 2024

See all articles by Hakan Yilmazkuday

Hakan Yilmazkuday

Florida International University (FIU) - Department of Economics

Date Written: October 19, 2024

Abstract

This paper investigates the effects of wearing a face mask on fighting against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The formal analysis is achieved by using a difference-in-difference design, where U.S. county-level data on changes in COVID-19 cases or deaths are regressed on lagged changes in social interaction of people measured by Google mobility. The main contribution is achieved by distinguishing between the effects of social interaction on COVID-19 in different U.S. counties based on the corresponding share of people wearing a face mask determined by Dynata surveys. After controlling for county-specific and time-specific factors, the results show that social interaction increases both COVID-19 cases and deaths across U.S. counties, unless more than (or equal to ) 85% of people in a county "always" wear a face mask. It is implied that people can have social interactions without any statistically significant effects on the spread of COVID-19, if a community-wide wearing of face masks can be achieved.

Note: Funding: None to declare

Declaration of Interest: None to declare

Keywords: COVID-19, Coronavirus, Social Interaction, Face Masks, U.S. Counties

JEL Classification: I10, I18

Suggested Citation

Yilmazkuday, Hakan, Fighting Against COVID-19 Requires Wearing a Face Mask by Not Some but All (October 19, 2024). Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, Forthcoming
, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3686283 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3686283

Hakan Yilmazkuday (Contact Author)

Florida International University (FIU) - Department of Economics ( email )

11200 SW 8th Street
Miami, FL 33199
United States

HOME PAGE: http://faculty.fiu.edu/~hyilmazk/

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