If you read my comment thoroughly, I was talking about cloth masks. That link you posted is really only interesting as far as surgical masks.
The surgical mask effect is certainly interesting, but they couldn't de-correlate the effect from increased social distancing in the intervention arm. Certainly that seems just as likely to make a difference if not more so eh?
So I'm left where I started: Nothing of consequence about cloth masks, and a mild un-corroborated effect from surgical masks in a country that's about as different from the US as I could imagine.
I wouldn't base public policy on that study, that's for sure. I have no problem if people want to wear masks, go for it. But mandates? I have a higher bar than you to infringe on personal freedoms I guess.
It's important to know what is meant by "surgical" masks. Some of these have an electrostatically blown fiber inner layer which is an electret. Although the fit is not as good as an N95 respirator, the basic filter is comparable to an N95 or at least a KN95. The typical "procedure" mask that civilians wear doesn't have that yet.
The surgical mask effect is certainly interesting, but they couldn't de-correlate the effect from increased social distancing in the intervention arm. Certainly that seems just as likely to make a difference if not more so eh?
So I'm left where I started: Nothing of consequence about cloth masks, and a mild un-corroborated effect from surgical masks in a country that's about as different from the US as I could imagine.
I wouldn't base public policy on that study, that's for sure. I have no problem if people want to wear masks, go for it. But mandates? I have a higher bar than you to infringe on personal freedoms I guess.