Mask Mandates Linked to Slightly Lower Number of COVID-19 Cases, Deaths: CDC

Masked fans look during a spring training game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Red Sox at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla., on March 4, 2021. Julio Aguilar/Getty Images

Mandates to wear masks are linked to a lower number of COVID-19 cases and deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In a report issued Friday, the agency said that mandating masks was linked to a decrease in daily COVID-19 case and death growth rates within 20 days of implementation.