Because despite what many on here believe, masks do have a benefit. I have seen it here in New Jersey which was brutally hit by Covid. We had numbers going steadily down until September when they started to rise. That coincides with relaxing rules and the widespread abandonment of mask use by the public here. In early September you could see it just driving down the street, dozens sometimes hundreds of people who finally got some freedom walking around and very, very few wearing masks. I am not talking about remote outdoor spaces, I am talking about crowded sidewalks, beaches and outdoor eateries with people well within 6’ of each other. I despise masks too and don’t believe they should be mandatory but people really should use a little common sense. If you do not want to wear a mask that is fine but use your head and avoid crowded places.
I have an anecdotal account of mask efficacy... my husband’s business has 80+ employees and serves about 2000 customers/day (curbside). From the beginning, he has required masks, gloves and distancing at his business. If employees took off their masks they had to put a new one on and wash up. He also takes temp checks twice daily. It was hard at first (he is claustrophobic, but has gotten used to the mask). Anyway...
Other franchises in the same area were not as careful. Of the 20 or so around him, his is the only one that did not have a case of covid. The county he is in has had nearly 30,000 cases.
So, it’s anecdotal, like I said, but it is enough for us to keep doing what we’re doing. He wears a cloth mask with 2 layers of filti material which has been tested and the results were it protects equivalent to a N95.