Washington state mask wearing improving, but still short of key benchmark
Aug 18, 2020, 5:23 AM
A Ken Griffey Jr. statue with a mask is seen during All In WA: A Concert For COVID-19 Relief on June 24, 2020 in Washington. (Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images for All In WA)
(Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images for All In WA)
The UW’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation recently released a new series of maps, detailing the progress states like Washington have made in increasing the frequency of mask wearing.
Why resistance to wearing masks is enduring months into coronavirus
On April 20, between 21% and 29% of Washingtonians told the IHME that they “always wear a mask when going out.” That increased to 30% to 39% by May 4, and largely held in that range until mid-June.
By June 15, Washington’s mask-wearing rate had risen to 40% to 49%, before increasing another 10% by July 27. That 50% to 59% range is where the state remained when the IHME last logged mask-wearing data on Aug. 10.
No state in the country currently boasts what the IHME calls “universal mask acceptance,” a rate of 95%. It estimates that almost 2,500 lives could be saved by Dec. 1 with universal mask acceptance in Washington state. Nationwide, that number jumps up to roughly 160,000 fewer COVID-19 deaths by December with 95% mask wearing.
Washington state currently has a mask mandate in place, requiring residents to wear a facial covering when out in public and in common areas, while allowing businesses to refuse service to customers not in compliance. States with mandates in place with no penalties typically see an increase of 8% in total mask wearing, according to the IHME’s data; those with mandates that include penalties see an increase of 15%.
The interplay between mask etiquette and mask fatigue
There’s a larger concern among experts, both in Washington and nationwide, that as new cases begin to drop, so too will the percentage of people who wear masks and adhere to basic social distancing practices.
“We’re seeing a roller coaster in the United States,” IHME Director Dr. Chris Murray said in early August. “It appears that people are wearing masks and socially distancing more frequently as infections increase, then after a while, as infections drop, people let their guard down and stop taking these measures to protect themselves and others – which, of course, leads to more infections. And the potentially deadly cycle starts over again.”
