Easing Mask Requirements Has Not Led to Virus Spread

David Leonhardt: “First, new Covid cases have continued to decline at virtually the same rate as during the month before the CDC announcement, which came on May 13… Overall, daily new cases have fallen by almost 75 percent since mid-April and by more than 90 percent from the peak in January.”

“On the other hand, the CDC’s change has had a noticeable effect on behavior in a positive way… For the previous month, the number of daily shots in the U.S. had been falling, as the country began to run out of adults who were eager to be vaccinated. Within a few days of the mask announcement, the decline leveled off.”