>The consensus before the pandemic was that the spread prevention was so low that it could not justifiably be recommended for the purpose of preventing spread of virus
Source? Mask wearing was quite prevalent in Japan and some asian countries.
>Despite common use of cloth masks in many countries in Asia, existing infection control guidelines do not mention their use (13).
>Rates of infection were consistently higher among those in the cloth mask group than in the medical mask and control groups. This finding suggests that risk for infection was higher for those wearing cloth masks.
Source? Mask wearing was quite prevalent in Japan and some asian countries.