[vkou]

> Yet experts were telling people to wash their hands and NOT wear masks.

Experts were telling people that wearing non-n95 masks is unlikely to protect you from other sick people.

They are still correct on that point. You primarily wear cloth masks to protect other people, not to protect yourself.

[mannerheim]

Up until around April or so, the CDC was explicitly saying they did not recommend the general public wear masks. For example, here's a tweet from the end of February:

https://twitter.com/cdcgov/status/1233134710638825473

[vkou]

Please read the tweet you linked:

> CDC does not currently recommend the use of facemasks to help prevent novel #coronavirus.

Please note the emphasized word.

The CDC is not saying don't wear masks. The CDC is not saying masks fail to prevent the spread of the virus. The CDC is saying that you wearing a mask is not likely to protect you from catching it.

If you are reading that tweet and interpreting that as "don't wear masks", you are not putting enough emphasis on protecting the people around you.

[mannerheim]

Except 1. preventing the spread of coronavirus IS preventing it and 2. public health officials explicitly told people not to wear masks:

> “Seriously people- STOP BUYING MASKS!” tweeted Dr. Jerome Adams, the U.S. Surgeon General, on Feb. 29. “They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!” In an interview with Fox & Friends, Adams said that wearing a mask can even increase your risk of getting the virus. “Folks who don’t know how to wear them properly tend to touch their faces a lot and actually can increase the spread of coronavirus.”

https://time.com/5794729/coronavirus-face-masks/

[plank_time]

It’s not incorrect. N95 works. Saying it is unlikely is a flat out lie. And the absurdity of saying that is what broke the trust of the government officials early on the pandemic. It’s a crime for them to have said that.