The "mask" has been a very divisive issue.

[Model35mech]

39. Confusing or deceptive?

Fauci, and company, knew covid was an airborne virus. Fauci also knew there were not enough masks available to keep health care workers in PPE.

So he and others who said we didn't need masks decieved us. Video from all over the world showed health workers in masks. The need for masks was obvious. But Fauci et al told us we didn't need them, and blabbered on about hand-washing and personal-distancing.

And as the pandemic grew, that deception-which was done in the interest of protecting clinical staff from PPE shortages was outed.

Being lied, even if the cause was good, pissed people off. It made them skeptical of all manner of later communication. Including that the incidence rate of this pandemic rises and falls on about a 3.5 to 4.5 month basis. That is easy to see in graphic visualizations such as graphs of 2 years of incidence data---like those on the NYT Covid page https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-cases.html

It's pretty obvious that there is a non-season related periodicity between "waves". When the waves are growing and cresting, it makes sense to mask, when the waves have receded and infection rates are in the trough masking is not so important.

Masking rules should probably reflect this waxing and waning of cases. But Americans can't get their heads around that. But its as simple as wearing rain-gear when it rains and going without it when the weather is clear.

Americans want one policy which benefits their (all to often economic) interests. It's hard to deal with school age children without consistent availability of day-cares and schools. It's hard to manage and operate businesses without consistent rules on freedom of workers and customers to work and shop. Going in and out of mask mandates and lockdowns is disruptive to normal routines

And of course policy comes from government, and when the rules change that shift isn't seen as a reasonable response to change in the 'weather' of the pandemic, it's seen as evidence that the policies of government failed, governments get blamed for complicating individuals lives with rule changes that 'don't work' and that interfere with their desired activities.

My advice is don't worry about what other people may say, make a reasoned decision for yourself. BUY another supply of masks NOW (I've got my new box in the hall closet) so they are available if and when you feel you need to return to wearing them as the rate of new cases climbs in your city/county slips above your personal tolerance of exposure risk.