It's not a meme, it was and is official advice from many places. E.g. WHO: "a medical mask is not required, as no evidence is available on its usefulness to pr

It's not a meme, it was and is official advice from many places. E.g. WHO: "a medical mask is not required, as no evidence is available on its usefulness to protect non-sick persons." https://www.who.int/publications-detail/advice-on-the-use-of-masks-the-community-during-home-care-and-in-health-care-settings-in-the-context-of-the-novel-coronavirus-(2019-ncov)-outbreak https://www.who.int/publications-detail/advice-on-the-use-of... NPR: "the scientific evidence that 'there might be a benefit for people in the community wearing [surgical] face masks is very, very meager.'" https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/01/29/800531753/face-masks-what-doctors-say-about-their-role-in-containing-coronavirus https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/01/29/8005317... Then there's places saying the opposite: "Any type of general mask use is likely to decrease viral exposure and infection risk on a population level, in spite of imperfect fit and imperfect adherence" https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2440799/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2440799/ I don't know what to think, but I've ordered some (surgical) masks.