I remember reading the CDC website, and I don't remember them saying that. Their Jan 8 publication says: > CDC currently recommends a cautious approach to sym

I remember reading the CDC website, and I don't remember them saying that. Their Jan 8 publication says: > CDC currently recommends a cautious approach to symptomatic patients with a history of travel to Wuhan City. Such patients should be asked to wear a surgical mask as soon as they are identified and be evaluated in a private room with the door closed. Personnel entering the room to evaluate the patient should use contact precautions and wear an N95 disposable facepiece respirator - https://emergency.cdc.gov/han/HAN00424.asp https://emergency.cdc.gov/han/HAN00424.asp And on Feb 21 their FAQ said: > Q: Does CDC recommend the use of facemask in the community to prevent COVID-19? > A: CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a facemask to protect themselves from respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19. You should only wear a mask if a healthcare professional recommends it. A facemask should be used by people who have COVID-19 and are showing symptoms. This is to protect others from the risk of getting infected. The use of facemasks also is crucial for health workers and other people who are taking care of someone infected with COVID-19 in close settings (at home or in a health care facility). - https://wayback.archive-it.org/13529/20200221195555/https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html https://wayback.archive-it.org/13529/20200221195555/https://... So I'm not seeing where they ever said they were not effective. It says that if you are sick or showing symptoms you should wear a mask, but that they don't advise the general public to wear a mask because they are crucial to health care workers. To me this sounds like very good advice.