NY Times Finally Realizes Masks Didn’t Do Anything

Get it now They tell us.

The New York Times published this article Piece Tuesday, titled “The Mask Mandates Did Nothing. Will Any Lessons Be Learned?” Bret Stephens, an opinion columnist at the Times who was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in commentary 2013 for his work, wrote it.

It was amazing to see the top of this story.

“The most rigorous and comprehensive analysis of scientific studies conducted on the efficacy of masks for reducing the spread of respiratory illnesses — including Covid-19 — was published late last month. Its conclusions, said Tom Jefferson, the Oxford epidemiologist who is its lead author, were unambiguous.”

“‘There is just no evidence that they’ — masks — ‘make any difference,’ he told the journalist Maryanne Demasi. ‘Full stop.'”

“But, wait, hold on. What about N-95 masks, as opposed to lower-quality surgical or cloth masks? ‘Makes no difference — none of it,’ said Jefferson.”

But hang on. In the early days of the pandemic, there was study after study proving that masks worked. This prompted legislators at all levels of government to pass mask mandates. Jefferson claims that those studies were not valid. “non-randomized” “flawed observational studies.”

Jefferson’s study is a good example. He conducted 78 random controlled trials in collaboration with 11 colleagues, which included a total of 609,872 participants across many countries.

“Mask mandates were a fool’s errand from the start,” Stephens wrote. “They may have created a false sense of safety — and thus permission to resume semi-normal life. They did almost nothing to advance safety itself. The Cochrane report ought to be the final nail in this particular coffin.”

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Researchers also examined this week the effectiveness of COVID vaccine mandates in the United States for 2021. They found that they did not work.

“These mandates imposed severe restrictions on the lives of many citizens and business owners,” According to researchers, a Study Designed by George Mason University’s Mercatus Center. “Yet, we find no evidence that the mandates were effective in their intended goals of reducing COVID-19 cases and deaths.”

Researchers evaluated New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Chicago, New Orleans, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, D.C.

“We find no evidence that the announcement or implementation of indoor vaccine mandates in the cities listed had any significant effect on vaccine uptake, COVID-19 cases, or COVID-19 deaths, and this is largely consistent for all US cities that implemented the mandate,” The researchers wrote.

When COVID first appeared on our shores in early winter 2020, leaders of big cities — almost invariably Democrats — enacted major lockdowns, forcing businesses to close and shutting down entertainment and sports venues. They also demanded that everyone wear masks. These same leaders also issued mandates to millions of people when vaccines were first created.

In August 2021, Jim Kenney, Philadelphia Democratic Mayor, stated that science has shown that vaccine mandates and masks will slow down the spread of disease.

“The updated policies we announced today are critical to slowing the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19, which is more dangerous and transmissible than earlier forms of the virus,” Kenney made the statement in a statement. “The science is clear: these measures will protect Philadelphians and save lives.”

Researchers found no evidence to support this assertion.

“Our findings put into question the efficacy of city-level vaccine mandates,” The researchers discovered. “Indoor vaccine mandates caused large disruptions for many individuals and businesses. New York City, for example, fired 1,430 city workers for failing to comply with its vaccine mandate. A survey found that over 90% of NYC restaurants reported having customer-related challenges, such as losing customers who objected to the mandate, and 75% having staff-related challenges. Those are just a small fraction of the disruptions caused by the mandates.”

“Most supporters of the mandates claim that the associated increase in vaccination rates, and its implied reduction in the spread of COVID-19, outweigh the cost of the disruptions. However, we find that the effects of the mandates on their intended outcomes are not statistically noticeable in any of the cities they were implemented in all empirical strategies used,” According to the report.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Daily Wire.

Joseph Curl has been covering politics for 35+ years, 12 of which were as a White House correspondent for a national paper. For four years, he was the Drudge Report’s a.m. editor. Send tips to [email protected] Follow him @josephcurl on Twitter