Rest assured, I believe if 90%+ of people consistently wore masks properly when among other people we’d have no problem getting rid of COVID. However, it’s unre

Rest assured, I believe if 90%+ of people consistently wore masks properly when among other people we’d have no problem getting rid of COVID. However, it’s unrealistic. People will skip masks at home (even though they risk getting infected by asymptomatic members of the family), people won’t wear masks properly, etc. > Many mask studies are based upon the real world in the field, such as the Bangladesh one In Bangladesh study: > For roughly half the 600 villages, we intervened by promoting mask usage: We gave every family in each village at least three masks — one per adult, cloth or surgical — and distributed masks in public spaces, including markets. We enlisted eminent local figures to explain why wearing masks can help slow viral transmission — providing imams with scripts to be read during religious services, for instance. Local leaders also modeled proper mask-wearing. We then sent observers into public spaces to note any changes in behavior. > We cross-randomized mask type (cloth vs. surgical) and promotion strategies at the village and household level. Proper mask-wearing increased from 13.3% in the control group to 42.3% in the intervention arm (adjusted percentage point difference = 0.29 [0.26, 0.31]). > After piloting, we settled on a core intervention package that combined household mask distribution with communication about the value of mask-wearing, mask promotion and in-person reminders at mosques, markets, and other public places, and role-modeling by public officials and community leaders. We also tested several other strategies in sub-samples, such as asking people to make a verbal commitment, creating opportunities for social signaling, text messages, and providing village-level incentives to increase mask-wearing. <…> We tested many different strategies because it was difficult to predict in advance which ones would lead to persistent increases in mask-wearing. What was tested was not just mask-wearing, what was tested is a complex, holistic approach to educating residents that resulted in proper mask-wearing among large percentage of even symptomless people. > as well as the Korean subway study elsewhere linked to. So it's simply not true that all of these are somehow in lab only. Mask-wearing culture in Korea, Japan, Hong Kong is different. Attention is paid to proper mask wearing, for example, and most people wear masks.