Study shows that Universal Masking in schools leads to fewer Covid cases

An article from the Washington Post,  "Universal masking leads to fewer covid cases in schools, study finds" by Donna St. George, 11/10/22, answers questions about the effectiveness of face masks in preventing the spread of Covid. 

Here are some excerpts from the article: 

"Public schools that kept universal masking requirements in place last year had significantly fewer coronavirus cases than their counterparts that lifted mandates as state policies changed, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine that weighs in on the hotly debated pandemic safety measure.

"The study, which followed schools in the Boston region during the 2021-2022 academic year, found that the end of mask requirements was associated with an additional 45 coronavirus cases per 1,000 students and staff members — or nearly 12,000 cases during a 15-week period from March to June. "

The  conclusion of the study was that universal masking (requiring masks at school as opposed to leaving the decision up to individual students and their parents) is an important strategy in reducing the incidence of Covid, especially during periods of high transmission of the virus.

"The toll of the additional coronavirus cases was stark: They translated into at least 17,500 missed school days for students and 6,500 missed school days for staff members, at a time when schools were following an isolation period of at least five days for those infected, the study said."

One expert pointed out that the finding is important to the current crisis in child health, with many hospitals overwhelmed by children with respiratory infections including RSV, influenza and covid-19. 

“'Masking is one of the rare tools that can combat all of these,' she said."