Widespread mask wearing could cut coronavirus transmission in half, a top California health official said, as many policymakers aggressively push the importance of face coverings to help get the state’s worsening COVID-19 cases under control.

Along with other often-touted practices like regular hand-washing and maintaining physical distance, California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said wearing masks “is increasingly one of those powerful tools that we see, not just at the aggregate but on the individual level to protect your communities, your local hospital system.”

“Some studies show that, if we had 80% compliance with masking, that we can reduce transmission somewhere between 50% and 60%, which is tremendous, which is exactly … what we need to see those case numbers start to come down — even if we don’t necessarily change the level of mixing that we’re having in our communities,” he said during a briefing Tuesday.

California has for weeks mandated that residents wear face coverings while in public or high-risk settings. However, the state has largely left enforcement up to local jurisdictions, some of which have shown scant interest in taking on the task.

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