I’m afraid that I disagree here. The worry was, that like toilet paper, enough of the public would hoard the initially available supply chain of masks so that medical professionals would be left without. That was a valid concern. Public health officials could have been forthright about this, but decided, perhaps correctly, that the public would have looked after number one regardless. So they chose to misinform that masks were ineffective anyways, in the hope of preventing a run. Maybe it worked. But do not complain afterwards that people do not believe public health guidance. The science did not change. More data was not necessary. This was always known to be a respiratory disease, and virtually by definition masks were helpful in preventing transmission. In any event, they certainly could not hurt.
The political messaging though out this pandemic, from the WHO and CDC down the local health authorities, has not followed the science so much as expediency. It has been one thing after another. “:Covid-19 is not yet a pandemic.” “Shutting down international travel will make the pandemic worse.” “Masks do not help.” “Children do not transmit the virus and pediatric cases are from the community.” “All vaccines are equally effective.” “The lab leak theory is a fringe conspiracy theory”. None of this followed the science. All of it was transparently driven by policy priorities and objectives of the body politic designed more to manipulate than inform the public. If no one believes anyone anymore, they have it coming.
I am vaccinated, carefully calibrate my social distancing, and wear a mask, because I actually do follow the science.