Because (at least in the US) leaders and experts waffled on the efficacy and necessity and in some bizzaro world logic decided to make masking a political virtu

Because (at least in the US) leaders and experts waffled on the efficacy and necessity and in some bizzaro world logic decided to make masking a political virtue which polluted all hope of it being taken seriously by many as a scientifically feasible method for combating the pandemic.