There will be lasting consequences of that lie for the rest of the pandemic probably for decades to come. There is a sizeable anti mask movement that gained sig

There will be lasting consequences of that lie for the rest of the pandemic probably for decades to come. There is a sizeable anti mask movement that gained significant ground because authorities told people masks didn't work despite the science saying the opposite, they even fabricated it as a scientific position further hurting belief in science itself. Many governments of the world created an anti vaxxer like movement around masks just to protect supplies. They had to do so because they failed to act early enough and to follow their own recommendations for stockpiles of protective equipment. The consequences of those lies will be here for a long time.