A Kansas mask requirement went into effect July 3, 2020 as cases began rising across the Midwest. However 81 counties opted out of the mandate, as permitted by state law. The other 24 counties — which account for the majority of the state’s population — chose to require that masks be worn in public places.
The CDC and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment analyzed trends in county-level cases before the mandate went into effect and two months afterward. Though rates were considerably higher in the 24 counties that required masks, over the two-month study period they brought the growth of cases under control and even reduced them. The counties that didn’t require masks continued to see their cases increase.
On average, the counties that required masks saw a 6% reduction in cases (calculated as a seven-day rolling average of new daily cases per capita). In contrast, the counties that opted out saw a 100% increase. Along with other mitigation strategies including physical distancing and hand washing, “the decrease in cases among mandated counties and the continued increase in cases in non mandated counties adds to the evidence supporting the importance of wearing masks,” the CDC says. The conclusion is simple. Wearing face masks in public spaces reduces the spread of COVID-19.
Kansas hospitals are seeking the help of nearby states to help handle the surge of patients being admitted to hospitals. However the entire Midwest is struggling under the immense surge in cases.
Dr. Birx said that Americans who gathered for Thanksgiving should assume they’re infected and get tested. People who traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday are likely to cause a spike in cases in the next two weeks. If you visited family outside your home, you should consider yourself as possibly infected and should get a COVID-19 test.