I think you're confounding a lot of variables here... the way that Japan and South Korea have dealt with the virus are in many ways different than the way that

I think you're confounding a lot of variables here... the way that Japan and South Korea have dealt with the virus are in many ways different than the way that it was handled in Italy and the US. Masks aren't necessarily as important as some of those other factors, including general cultural tendencies, such as listening to government advice or willingness to adhere to limits on movement. It's also misleading to include the Surgeon General's tweet on this subject. This is in very specific context to having a limited supply of masks and trying to reserve them for the most at risk populations.