A new study has suggested that the compulsory use of facemasks can slow the spread of Covid-19 cases by as much as 40%. The German report, published as a discussion paper for the Institute of Labour Economics, determined that mandatory facemasks can "reduce the daily growth rate of reported infections by around 40%".
The study involved researchers examining the growth rate of cases in regions across Germany in the days following the introduction of masks in shops and on public transport.
For the experiment, the team of scientists from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and the University of Southern Denmark closely studied the German city of Jena, which introduced mandatory facemasks on 6 April.