Study looks at impact of certain social distancing measures

Shelter-in-place orders and the closure of restaurants, bars and entertainment-related businesses helped to slow the spread of COVID-19 between March 1 and April 27, according to a study published yesterday by Health Affairs.

“We did not find evidence that bans on large events and closures of public schools also did, though the confidence intervals cannot rule out moderately sized effects,” the authors said. They note that their results “are not informative about the effectiveness of intermediate measures, such as lifting a [shelter-in-place order] but requiring masks in public or opening restaurants at reduced capacity. Further research is needed as gradual, untested steps toward reopening are taken across the country.”