An analysis of hundreds of COVID-19 cases suggests that face masks are most protective in specific circumstances, such as exposure to a person with COVID-19 that lasts for more than three hours or that takes place indoors https://t.co/iIfBAEWVb4

— nature (@Nature) November 6, 2021

Masks work, but aren’t the panacea that many take them to be. Order of effectiveness:

1) Vaccination, by far

2) Ventilation improvements

3) Lockdowns

4) Masking

5) Social distancing

6) Hand washing, etc.

Of course, combining one or more NPIs is most effective, but what really should be combined to make the most people the least miserable is vaccination and better ventilation, with only short, focused lockdowns early on. Otherwise, lockdowns should be avoided.