Page 19 - IJPS-11-5

International Journal of
Population Studies Human behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic

Figure 13. COVID case rates in the united states counties with and without mask mandates. Image obtained from Budzyn et al., 2021.

Figure 14. COVID-19 mask mandates. Data is ordered by increasing vote for biden in 2020.

Table 5. Percentage of people who wore face masks in 2020 Thus, six feet appeared to be a reasonable minimum,
but it must be modified based on factors such as whether
Survey Democratic or Republican or
date Democratic leaning (%) republican leaning (%) one was indoors or outdoors, the nature of activities,
June 2020 76 53 crowd density, and whether someone without a mask
August 2020 92 76 was sneezing. The six-foot rule became obsolete when it
was determined that aerosol droplets, which can linger
and travel through the air, were the primary mode of
et al. found that 65% of 48 participants produced only large COVID-19 transmission.
droplets, with fewer than 10% of droplets traveling as far as
5.5 feet. However, 10% of droplets traveled 9.5 feet. Despite Fisher et al. (2020) provided additional insights into
the limitations of these early studies—especially regarding why social distancing was considered effective, as shown in
long-range transmission—the consistent observation that Figure 15. Note the significant effect of being in crowded,
large droplets tend to fall close to the host reinforced and active indoor spaces on transmission risk.
entrenched the scientific basis for the six-foot distancing Each state had its own unique set of social distancing
rule. rules with varying strictness levels and exceptions. Typical

Volume 11 Issue 5 (2025) 13 https://doi.org/10.36922/IJPS025110040