Byrne, KieranKondylis, FlorenceLoeser, JohnMukama, Denis2022-04-082022-04-082022-04https://hdl.handle.net/10986/37278Did increases in mask supply slow the spread of COVID-19 Rwanda licensed and incentivized textile manufacturers to produce high-quality masks at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper exploits spatial variation in exposure to mask manufacturing through textile trade networks within an event-study design using receipt-level tax data. Licensing domestic mask manufacturers conservatively reduced mask prices by 8.8% and reduced monthly growth in COVID-19 infections (proxied by demand for anti-fever medicine) by 12%. The dynamics of the results suggest that increased mask quality explains reduced infections, in a context where there was strict enforcement of mask mandates and informal markets for masks.CC BY 3.0 IGOCOVID-19PANDEMIC. INDUSTRYCORONAVIRUSMASK MANUFACTURINGMASK QUALITY STUDYMASK ACCESS STUDYSTRICT MASK ENFORCEMENT DATATEXTILE INDUSTRY RESPONSE TO COVID-19MASK EFFECTIVENESSWorking PaperWorld Bank10.1596/1813-9450-9993