It's still mind boggling to me that governments didn't say "Don't wear a mask for yourself -- wear one to save your neighbor."

Sure, there would have been some people who ignored it because they're jackasses, but I can't believe we wouldn't be in a better place today.

Both in terms of public scientific- and community- appreciation.

> It's still mind boggling to me that governments didn't say "Don't wear a mask for yourself -- wear one to save your neighbor."

I mean... they did?

Like in the UK's guidance literally the second sentence is "Face coverings are primarily worn to protect others because they cover the nose and mouth, which are the main sources of emission of the virus that causes coronavirus infection (COVID-19)."

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-wh...

They did in the US as well. It’s disappointing US leadership flip flopped on masks enough times that anti-mask started to make sense to people.