The Differential Impact of Reopening States With and Without COVID-19 Face Mask Mandates on County-Level Consumer Spending. (September 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dunphy, Christopher; Miller, Gabrielle F.; Sunshine, Gregory; McCord, Russell; Howard-Williams, Mara; Proia, Krista; Stephens, James
• Is Part Of: Public health reports. Volume 137:Number 5(2022)
• Page Start: 1000
• Page End: 1006
• Publication Date: 2022-09
• Subjects: COVID-19 -- face mask mandates -- consumer spending -- closure orders -- nonpharmaceutical interventions; Public health -- United States -- Periodicals; 614.0973
• DOI: 10.1177/00333549221103816
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0033-3549

Abstract

Objectives: By the end of 2020, 38 states and the District of Columbia had issued requirements that people wear face masks when in public settings to counter SARS-CoV-2 transmission. To examine the role face mask mandates played in economic recovery, we analyzed the interactive effect of having a state face mask mandate in place on county-level consumer spending after state reopening, adjusting for county rates of new COVID-19 cases and deaths, time trends, and county-specific effects. Methods: We collected county-specific data from state executive orders, consumer spending data from the Opportunity Insights Economic Tracker, and COVID-19 case and death data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 tracker. Using an event study approach, we compared county-level changes in consumer spending before and after state-issued closure orders were lifted and assessed the interactive effect of state-issued face mask mandates. Results: The lifting of state-issued closures was associated with an average increase in consumer spending across all counties studied within 1 month. However, the increase was 1.2-1.7 percentage points higher in counties with a state face mask mandate in place than in counties without a state face mask mandate. Conclusions: In addition to their public health benefits, face mask mandates may have assisted economic recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting they are a strong public health strategy for policy makers to consider now and for potential future pandemics arising from airborne viruses.