I think it was only the Surgeon General who was against them, and the immediate need was to stop the public from buying medical grade masks...
people shouldnt wear face masks to prevent the spread of the infectious illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Just sayin
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-cdc-says-americans-dont-have-to-wear-facemasks-because-of-coronavirus-2020-01-30
Back on 1/30 there wasn’t hardly any coronavirus transmitting in the US.
The first known case was identified on 1/20.