TOPEKA, Kan. - Government mandates that require people to wear masks in public help slow the spread of COVID-19, according to a new report by the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The findings, published Nov. 20, also showed that communities without such orders can suffer a dramatic increase in new virus cases.In early July, Kansas Gov.
Laura Kelly issued an executive order requiring residents to wear masks in public spaces amid surging coronavirus cases. State law enables individual counties to opt out of the governor’s order for less stringent provisions.Among the state’s 105 counties, 24 adhered to the mask mandate — while 81 counties did not, according to the CDC.