*sigh* there are DIFFERENT kinds of masks
The ones you typically see at the hardware store WONT DO ANYTHING against a virus but make you “feel” safer.
The special masks they are talking about are the ones that are needed and are in short supply.
On January 27th, when I read an article out of China saying their experts at the level 4 facility right there in Wuhan would soon solve the problem, I went put and bought N95 masks at the home improvement store. I instructed family members to do the same. Some found them at similar stores and others at big box stores.
What’s the point of that story? N95 masks were in all kinds of stores for those paying attention. N95 masks are exactly the ones they want for health care workers. N95 masks made for construction use are now deemed acceptable for health care.
Not all masks were N95 but most I saw were making your statement wrong. The ones that are nearly worthless in protecting you from infection are the thin surgical masks. Those work only if everyone is wearing one and therefore keeping their germs to themselves.
In the future know the topic before making blanket statements.
The point of everyone wearing masks in public, even if it’s just a bandana over their nose and mouth is that it prevent everyone from spewing droplets into the air when they cough and sneeze.
Is it 100%? No, but it’s at least as effective as social distancing and allows for more normal economic activity
better yet if we had better sick time for more people....especially in the health care field TPTB will lecture and possibly fire you if you call in sick "too much"..."too much" varies.....
I have a couple of “N95” masks from a painting job a while back; I see that designation as the kind they need.
They were obviously lying to us here in NJ because the same masks they insisted wouldn’t protect us were appearing on the cops in the news.
There is no reason to trust anything the government says about this.