As regular readers of the HOTLINE know, we were agnostic about requiring people to wear masks during the height of Covid. On the one hand, we always believed the benefits of wearing masks were highly exaggerated and we cited much evidence in 2020 and 2021 to back up that suspicion. But we also believed that if mask-wearing was necessary to get stores, restaurants, and businesses reopened, it seemed a small price to pay to avert an economic catastrophe and get people to feel safe leaving their homes.

Now here we are at least 18 months AFTER Covid ended as a serious health pandemic and we still see localities, schools, and businesses requiring masks to be worn. Why?

A new systematic review by Cochrane – an international collaborative effort funded by the NIH that is regarded as employing “the highest standard in evidence-based healthcare” – examined all the randomized control trial data available evidence on mask-wearing during COVID.

Here is the conclusion of the lead author, Oxford University’s Dr. Tom Jefferson:

“There is just no evidence that [masks] make any difference. Full stop.”

If people want to wear them, fine. It’s a free country. But can our public officials PLEASE follow the science like they say they do and stop with the mask mandates?