Effects of Early Mask Mandates and Other Policy Interventions on COVID-19 Infections

How do different government mandates compare in their short and long-term efficacies in curbing COVID-19 infections? Does a mandate’s early adoption enhance its eventual efficacy? Using worldwide data on the daily evolution of government mandate adoptions and COVID-19 infections from January to July 2020, we found that, compared with five other commonly adopted mandates, early adoption of the mask mandate has the strongest short and long-term effect on curbing infections. Mass gathering bans and school closures have some effect but take more time to manifest their efficacy. Domestic lockdowns and restaurant closures have the least effect. When designing measures for curbing COVID-19 infections, governments must weigh the timing and relative efficacies of alternative policy instruments.