Policies worldwide have made it compulsory for millions of people to wear face masks to help prevent the transmission of the new coronavirus. While the evidence for face mask-wearing is clear, the messaging around it could, however, be improved.
Researchers of a new study have studied the messaging that accompanies compulsory mask policies. Based on their findings, insufficient messaging by public officials on face masks could actually lead to an increase in the spread of the virus.
The study was conducted by a team of health economists and the public health faculty at the University of Vermont's Larner College of Medicine in partnership with public health officials of the state of Vermont, and was recently published as a preprint in SSRN.
