[ncallaway]

> It seems strange to me as well.

We don't have nearly enough masks, and the authorities are trying to ensure that as many masks as we have can go to a healthcare setting.

It's why they're giving us incongruous messages: both "masks don't help reduce the risk of transmission", AND "we need to save masks for health care workers". Obviously, since we're trying to preserve the supply for health care workers they do have some utility in reducing the risk of transmission.