Goldman Sachs Has Done the Math and a National Mask Mandate to Halt the Spread of Coronavirus Would Have a Big Impact on the U.S. Economy

Mask wearing could save the domestic economy from a 5% hit to GDP, Goldman says

by Mark DeCambre
Market Watch

Wearing a mask has become a uniquely hot-button issue in the U.S., which finds itself in the throes of a coronavirus crisis that appears to be drifting out of control by the day.

However a recent report from Goldman Sachs projects that a lack of a national policy mandating the use of facial coverings throughout the U.S. is delivering an unnecessary hit to the domestic economy.

A team of economists lead by Jan Hatzius, chief economist at Goldman, makes the case that a national face-mask mandate could partially substitute for renewed lockdowns, as COVID-19 inflections flare up in a number of southern and western states in the U.S., that would “otherwise subtract 5% from gross domestic product.” (See attached chart):

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