Scientists trace heat waves back to individual fossil fuel companies, with potentially sweeping courtroom implications

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AFAIK FFP3 masks protect the wearer and prevents spread. The other masks provide little protection for the wearer and stop large particles which at the time some speculated would help limit spread to others. Once the science came out that properly analysed how covid spread (a lot of smaller particles that go through/around masks that don't seal to the face) the advice should have changed to have everyone wear the better masks.

 

Our country was quite an outlier on this. The person making decisions on masks in the NHS was a nurse with no training in infectious diseases, at the COVID enquiry she was insisting that masks weren't effective despite all the evidence presented there and elsewhere. I get the distinct impression there was pressure caused by the lack of supplies that lead to hesistation recommending anything better than cloth/low quality surgical style masks. Personally I think this is one of the bigger mistakes made in this country - prioritising managing the situation rather than being very clear on facts. Too often the government focussed on 'the message' rather than communicating what was known, this may have helped short term with getting people to do what they wanted but it sowed massive distrust that continues to this day.

 

The big caveat to all this masks only work if worn properly and at population scale plenty of people don't like wearing them or make half assed efforts. In those cases masks can provide a false sense of security. Without good ventilation indoor spaces are still a problem even with masks (because masks aren't perfect) and it's again one of those areas where England is an outlier. Many other countries, including Scotland, have tightened ventilation requirements for buildings to ensure more fresh air (something that is a good idea even ignoring covid or other infectious diseases).