Robert Kaplan, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, said the economy would improve if people wore a mask, in a Friday interview with Maria Bartiromo on the Fox Business Network.
“If we all wore a mask, it would substantially mute the transmission of this disease and we would grow faster,” said Kaplan. “While monetary and fiscal policy have a key role to play, the primary economic policy from here is broad mask-wearing and good execution of these health care protocols.” (RELATED: Security Guard Charged With Murder For Allegedly Shooting Customer Who Wasn’t Wearing A Mask)
Kaplan also accredited mask-wearing procedures with a lower unemployment rate and faster reopening across the country. Economists have warned that the U.S. economy will not be able to recover until the virus is no longer a threat, per The Hill.
Reopening procedures in May allegedly allowed for an uptick in hiring and consumer sales, but led to a surge in cases in the South. A study by members of the World Health Organization shows that wearing face masks significantly reduced the amount of droplets and aerosols emitted from a person with the virus. A study by the Infectious Disease Department at a hospital in Australia found that surgical masks and N-95 masks were equally effective in reducing the spread of viruses.
Kaplan added that he expected economic growth in the third and fourth quarter of the economic calendar.
“The issue is how fast,” said Kaplan.
Kaplan is one of ten Fed officials who comprise the central bank’s policymaking committee this year.