Here is a very well documented list of the facts on using masks to try to control transmission from the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS): Mask Facts
And for those who like watching a video:
Why Face Masks DON’T Work, According To SCIENCE
by Ben Swann of ISE Media, July 15, 2020, on Facebook with useless fact checking
STUDY: Universal Masking in Hospitals in the Covid-19 Era (May 21, 2020, nejm.org)
“We know that wearing a mask outside health care facilities offers little, if any, protection from infection. Public health authorities define a significant exposure to Covid-19 as face-to-face contact within 6 feet with a patient with symptomatic Covid-19 that is sustained for at least a few minutes (and some say more than 10 minutes or even 30 minutes). The chance of catching Covid-19 from a passing interaction in a public space is therefore minimal. In many cases, the desire for widespread masking is a reflexive reaction to anxiety over the pandemic.”
A cluster randomised trial of cloth masks compared with medical masks in healthcare workers (Apr 22, 2015, nih.gov)
