Sorry WE this is nonsense - from my experience I would say that only a very small minority of mask wearers used the N95 versions - they used a mix of homemade cotton/ fabric masks or the blue disposable types (which were used time and again).

What you claim is completely untrue. Just read this for evidence of that:-

[Link]

That no-it-alls with an overriding fixation on "personal freedoms" want us all to believe it was a waste of time doesn't change the truth. This was a new situation. We needed to learn.

Mask-wearing was part of an effort to change people's behaviour. A change designed to benefit us all and one in which we all had a duty to participate. We don't live in isolation. What we do as individuals impacts others. Those who made spurious and worthless arguments about their "personal freedom" being infringed as a reason for not complying were just demonstrating their selfishness.

The government weren't "controlling" people's behaviour at all. They were encouraging, initially through persuasion and then via some sanctions, people to behave sensibly in an emerging situation. That's their job. They need to lead, and then apply pressure on those who fail to play their part.

It's as though you regard having speed limits as our government "controlling" us! They are there for our benefit because the majority of us want them to be. You don't let headstrong boy racers off the hook just because their "personal freedom" to drive at 100 mph past a school has been removed.

I think you really need to draw breath, read things and think about them a little harder, instead of pursuing this obsession you appear to have in attacking me personally. It really isn't very dignified.

What you wrote was:-

"Masks have been used for over a century and in various forms before that. The idea that we somehow didn't know how effective masks for in handling airborne viruses is utter nonsense."

What I said, and what the link I posted proves, is that it simply isn't true. If it were there would have been no need to carry out any kind of research on mask-wearing for Covid 19. It would have been a settled issue and masks would not have been worn. Just because you want it to be settled doesn't mean it was or is now.

Of course, mask-wearing was not, and never could have been, a wholly voluntary matter. To have allowed that would have defeated its whole purpose and we might just as well have abandoned the whole idea. Anyone who thinks it could doesn't truly understand the point.

It was, in any case, always a voluntary decision whether to wear a mask or not. No one
anyone who strongly objected to wearing one to do so. They could stay at home, remain away from others, and never wear one. Their choice. But just as soon as they decided to mix with others they needed to comply with the requirements of the majority. That's what living in a community demands of individuals. You can opt out of that community, but opt in and you follow the rules. No one would punish you for not wearing a mask at home. Do
so in a shared space and you risked punishment.

Not for the first time you reveal yourself as an anarchist and not a democrat when you seek to categorise perfectly normal behaviour by governments as "authoritarian". It's nothing of the sort.

Mask wearing wasn't essential at Downing Street parties during lockdown.

This isn't new and has been discussed here before. It's more sensationalist recycling from the Mail. As our knowledge increased so the responses evolved. We started to use N95 masks which offer greater protection. Mask-wearing was always part of reassuring the public and encouraging them to participate in other preventative actions. I know I felt more comfortable when in crowded spaces knowing I wasn't going to receive the direct impact of someone else's sneeze.

No. We didn't. Why would we? 'N' as in "N95" is a US product. This shows how little you, and many others, understand about masks and respirators. We, as in the UK, would use FFP standard masks/respirators. It's the European standard which has to be adhered to in workplace environments according to HSE legislation. Wiki [Link] And as you never mention those face coverings, you have obviously never used them. Which leads me to think that the hospital your wife works at doesn't use them either.

As I said at the outset of the virus, mask wearing is merely a form of ensuring compliance. Masks that may have helped reduce the spread were not used by 99% of people at any time. So, pointless, unless you were a mask manufacturer.