Silly hats are no substitute

Grace teased me about my Covid hat purchase.  Rightfully so.

In February, before we understood very much about aerosol droplets and the effectiveness of facemarks, I ordered this silly hat from a click-bait internet ad for my wife. I was thinking that the plastic shield would make a difference. Now, even a first-grader knows that I was wrong. 

“Papa Tee, only face masks work, and the more people that wear them, the better.” Grace said.  “This hat has openings all-around that let germs in and out.”

She’s right. Health studies compared the COVID-19 growth rate before and after mask mandates in 15 states and the District of Columbia. Studies found that mask mandates led to a slowdown in daily COVID-19 growth rate.  The first five days after a mandate, the daily growth rate slowed by 0.9 percentage-points compared to the five days prior.  At three weeks, the daily growth rate had slowed by 2 percentage-points.  Masks work, face shields open at the bottom don't.