Originally Posted by
Mach E Avelli
As inconvenient and ineffectual as it may be ....
It seems that masks are somewhat effective in reducing the risk that someone with the virus (or, indeed other viruses) will infect other people. As you can be infectious without (yet) having symptoms, requiring masks looks pretty reasonable. The authorities are not trying to protect you from yourself: they're protecting other people from the risk you (potentially) pose.