I think for the most part they always knew, but due to the very limited resources; they didn't feel the risk to all outweighed the risk to those who had higher risks not having them, so they only recommended for those being exposed etc.
I think they were trying to stop a mass hysteria.
I agree.
I think they knew masks were helpful, but they also knew there weren’t enough masks available for everyone.
I mean, there’s got to be a reason why people in Asia wear masks. I know a lot of it is because they’ve been trained to wear masks when sick so as not to get others sick, but, still, when there is an outbreak of something, they all seem to be wearing masks.
However, DH, who is a licensed & trained 1st responder, firmly believes that people who are not used to wearing masks & gloves & aren’t trained in the right way to put them on & take them off actually do more harm than good & end up transferring more germs in the process.
So we aren’t using masks or gloves... although, I have to admit, sometimes, I wish we were... (We don’t have any masks, but I’ve been wondering how effective a bandana would be.).
A few days ago, a friend on FB posted a pic of his N95 masks that had arrived that day in the mail. He had a box of 10. I have NO IDEA how he managed to get N95 masks or how much he paid, but he was keeping 5 for his family & said he was donating the other 5 to a hospital.
He is not a healthcare worker & is currently working from home. So I don’t know why he needs a N95 mask.