Yeah, and the rest of the world still said "masks are a good idea" through all of that. It was pretty obvious what the CDC was up to at the time (trying not to cause panic buying, etc) but it was a terrible idea for them to do it.
Fauci and the WHO said the same thing. Only mask if you're sick or if you take care of sick people around you but you don't need to mask if you're healthy.
Edit: [0] is a archived version of the WHO public advice about when to use mask from late april. It probably was up even longer:
> If you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with COVID-19.
Wear a mask if you are coughing or sneezing.
Masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent hand-cleaning with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
If you wear a mask, then you must know how to use it and dispose of it properly.
The rest of the world didn't say that. Many of the world's politicians felt the need to be seen to be doing something, so forced masks upon us despite little hard evidence.
