Sounds fantastic. Glad most people are doing their part. If only Western governments were encouraging their citizens to wear masks. I know there aren’t enough even for healthcare workers but people in vulnerable groups should really be encouraged to wear makeshift masks. There’s no shortage of tea towels and if you strap one to you face you’re at 70% effectiveness catching virus sized particles when surgical masks are just under 90%. Decreasing the viral load that gets into your lungs decreases the possibility you’ll actually get infected.
> Professional and Home-Made Face Masks Reduce Exposure to Respiratory Infections among the General Population
> Principal Findings
> All types of masks reduced aerosol exposure, relatively stable over time, unaffected by duration of wear or type of activity, but with a high degree of individual variation. Personal respirators were more efficient than surgical masks, which were more efficient than home-made masks. Regardless of mask type, children were less well protected. Outward protection (mask wearing by a mechanical head) was less effective than inward protection (mask wearing by healthy volunteers).
> Conclusions/Significance
> Any type of general mask use is likely to decrease viral exposure and infection risk on a population level, in spite of imperfect fit and imperfect adherence, personal respirators providing most protection. Masks worn by patients may not offer as great a degree of protection against aerosol transmission.
It might be difficult for governments to admit that they were "lying to you for your own good." No official is going to want to suffer that embarrassment, and even though this is an emergency situation the normal laws of bureaucracies (avoid embarrassment at all costs) still apply.
> Professional and Home-Made Face Masks Reduce Exposure to Respiratory Infections among the General Population
> Principal Findings
> All types of masks reduced aerosol exposure, relatively stable over time, unaffected by duration of wear or type of activity, but with a high degree of individual variation. Personal respirators were more efficient than surgical masks, which were more efficient than home-made masks. Regardless of mask type, children were less well protected. Outward protection (mask wearing by a mechanical head) was less effective than inward protection (mask wearing by healthy volunteers).
> Conclusions/Significance
> Any type of general mask use is likely to decrease viral exposure and infection risk on a population level, in spite of imperfect fit and imperfect adherence, personal respirators providing most protection. Masks worn by patients may not offer as great a degree of protection against aerosol transmission.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2440799/