What would you say if there was one accident in location X in 2019 and two in 2020, and I exclaimed, “There was a 100% increase in accidents in location X!!!”
Remember, there are lies, damn lies, and statistics.
The rate of infection reached an average of about 45 cases per 100,000 students by late September in school districts with mask mandates.
Virus spread was 62% higher in school districts with no mask rules, where the infection rate averaged 73 cases per 100,000 by late September.
Unlike my hypothetical accident situation, this difference is probably meaningful…but even the 62% higher infection rate comes out to 0.073% (as in not even one tenth of one percent).
No policy has only one effect, and the benefits have to be measured against the costs.
Our children have paid too much during this pandemic because of adults’ single-factor thinking.