Well.....well...what do we have here
Fauci Said Masks 'Not Really Effective in Keeping Out Virus,' Email Reveals
"The typical mask you buy in the drug store is not really effective in keeping out virus, which is small enough to pass through material. It might, however, provide some slight benefit in keep out gross droplets if someone coughs or sneezes on you."
He added: "I do not recommend that you wear a mask, particularly since you are going to a very low risk location."
Fauci (and you as well, probably) was wrong re the life saving effect of mask use from covid19 severe illness & death. The evidence that changed his opinion came out later. That evidence was revealed in the first half of 2020 when masks were recommended or even mandated widely globally & by the vast majority of health experts & nations on the planet.
Surgical masks are useless. N95 masks is whats needed
There is no evidence of transmission from free-floating viral particles. The transmission is from respiratory droplets and aerosols, the smallest of which are in the 5 um range.
...and surgical masks filter down to 1um.
"The surgical mask blocked about 60% of .03 micron particles and over 90% of 1 micron and 2.5 micron particles."
"in one study, researchers tested particles down to .007 microns (even smaller than viruses) and found that a simple surgical mask blocked 80%."
"... it’s downright surprising that surgical masks are just as effective [as N95 masks]! Maybe virus particles are actually easy to capture because they fly on water droplets.
https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/n95-mask-surgical-prevent-transmission-coronavirus/?rel=1