New York Times Finally Admits Mask Mandates Don’t Work

Many people have argued for some time now that mask mandates do nothing to stop or slow the spread of COVID-19. Now, in late May 2022, the New York Times has finally caught up to speed.

In an article entitled “Why Masks Work but Mandates Haven’t,” the NYT admits, “In U.S. cities where mask use has been more common, Covid has spread at a similar rate as in mask-resistant cities.

OutKick founder Clay Travis noted the change:

After over two years arguing in favor of mask mandates, this morning @nytimes finally acknowledged in an article that the data clearly shows wearing masks, and mask mandates, has had zero statistical impact on covid. pic.twitter.com/zCnBZvlFMn

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) May 31, 2022

Though the Times tries to obfuscate, Travis spells it out plainly: masks and mask mandates have had “zero statistical impact on covid,” even in schools.

Zip, zero, zilch.

However, the Times has good reason to hedge their language. They were once one of the most ardent advocates for masks and mask mandates. “Get Serious about the People Putting Us All at Risk,” “We Did the Research: Masks Work, and You Should Choose a High Quality Mask if Possible,” and “Refusing to Wear a Mask Is Like Driving Drunk” are all editorial headlines published in the NYT since COVID began to spread in early 2020.

Now, they have quietly admitted that they were wrong all along. Whoops!