@syag-lchochma I learned a new phrase the other day called “The Paradox of Tolerance”. Basically, it means that you can’t put all sides of every argument on equal grounds, else we will be tolerating Nazis for their viewpoints. I find that this falls into that category. While I’m sure there are some health care professionals who aren’t as aggressive in recommending masks as others, I doubt there are many. And if there are any who say that wearing a mask makes no difference, there certainly isn’t enough to account for the sheer number of people who claim to quote them. I mean, the biggest frum doctors offices in Brooklyn, Monsey, and Lakewood have all advocated for mask wearing as much as possible. Whomever these alleged doctors are that say that masks don’t help at all certainly are a minority and don’t even begin to account for the sheer numbers of people who refuse to put on masks.
I think a lot of it comes from people hearing what they want to hear and ignoring the rest. A relative said to me the other day that he doesn’t wear a mask because he heard that a certain prominent doctor said that only a full hazmat suit will protect a person from COVID. I asked if Dr. Hazmat tells people not to wear masks, and what does he think of masks protecting well people from someone who is ill, and he didn’t have an answer.