The way I recall it seeing thing unfold and not really following the political stuff at the time:
CDC said that cloth masks don’t stop viruses. You need a medical mask for that, but please don’t use those because hospitals need them. That was all true.
In other countries, notably South Korea, almost everyone wore masks, and the numbers showed their effectiveness.
So CDC realized that indeed, if everyone wears one, it greatly reduces transmission of the virus. It doesn’t have to be perfect to be efficient.
The way I recall it seeing thing unfold and not really following the political stuff at the time:
CDC said that cloth masks don’t stop viruses. You need a medical mask for that, but please don’t use those because hospitals need them. That was all true.
In other countries, notably South Korea, almost everyone wore masks, and the numbers showed their effectiveness.
So CDC realized that indeed, if everyone wears one, it greatly reduces transmission of the virus. It doesn’t have to be perfect to be efficient.