A CDC study of an incident in Missouri involving two coronavirus-positive hairstylists is being touted as hard evidence of the effectiveness of masks.
In the incident, the workers interacted with 136 individuals, including customers and coworkers, but everyone involved wore a mask. Louisiana Assistant Health Secretary Dr. Alex Billioux says evidence shows not a single one of them went on to get COVID-19.
“The CDC and the federal government and even the White House are now very clear that there is a reason why we are saying 'wear your masks,'” says Billioux.
The two COVID-19 positive workers had gotten tested for the novel coronavirus, but went back to work while waiting for the results during this period.
The hairstylists spent on average over 15 minutes within six feet of every patron they worked on, which is considered “close contact,” and would warrant a self-quarantine order. Billioux says it is a remarkable discovery that puts puts the state in a position where it can work on best evidence.
Billioux says the now -proven efficacy of masks is helping inform a federal plan aimed at keeping the economy up and running through the rest of the pandemic.
“We may not necessarily have to go back to a stay-at-home order if we can emphasize the following things because these are the things that seem to have the biggest impact,” says Billioux.