Missouri Governor Mike Parson, a Republican, asked his state’s health department to study a contentious issue – do masks really work at preventing the spread of COVID-19?
The answer was a clear ‘yes.’
But that didn’t fit with Parson’s position on mask mandates, so he buried the health department’s findings, according to a report by the Missouri Independent.
Parson requested the information on the effectiveness of masks in early November. The Missouri Health Department did an analysis comparing jurisdictions with and without mask mandates.
The department’s director, Donald Kauerauf, emailed Parson to say “with great confidence” that “communities where masks were required had a lower positivity rate per 100,000 and experienced lower death rates.”
Specifically, jurisdictions without mask mandates experienced 21.7 cases per day for every 100,000 residents. But infections were less common in jurisdictions that required face coverings – just 15.8 cases per day for every 100,000 residents.
However, according to the Missouri Independent, “the analysis wasn’t included in material the department prepared for cabinet meetings” and was never published until a public information request was submitted by the news outlet.
The New York Times provides key context:
Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, has said he supports wearing masks to slow the spread of Covid-19, but he has repeatedly spoken out against mask requirements. In July, he said on Twitter that issuing mask mandates while a vaccine is available eroded public trust. “The vaccine is how we rid ourselves of COVID-19, not mask mandates that ignore common sense,” Mr. Parson wrote.
In a statement posted on Twitter on Thursday, Mr. Parson reiterated his opposition to mask mandates and said the requirements “infringe on our personal liberties.”
Parson added that the Missouri Independent’s report is “purposefully misleading,” “handpicked information” and “took the data out of context.”
“There is no definite evidence that proves mandates solely saved lives and prevented COVID-19 infections in Missouri’s biggest cities,” Parson insisted. “The comparisons shown in the analysis do not account for any outside variables, such as health care access, testing rates, and especially vaccination rates for each location.”