Yeah, no. People could have worn masks they already had, ordered masks online if any were available, the market for home-made masks would have emerged like it e

Yeah, no. People could have worn masks they already had, ordered masks online if any were available, the market for home-made masks would have emerged like it ended up doing later. And even if people did go out to buy masks, people were already going out on essential trips like the grocery store, pharmacy, and continuing to go to work for many people. Making one trip to buy a mask and then wearing that mask on all other essential trips for the next few weeks would have been a big net win even if you did have to go into a store to buy that mask.