Almost 10k hospital workers have caught covid-19 and they wear gloves and masks all day long. If you come into contact with someone, you're not protected. 6 feet doesn't do anything. If someone is smoking a cigarette 6 feet away, can you not smell it? Do you think a virus can't travel as far as cigarette smoke?
In NYC area the smallest number of infected people in China town because they all obey the instructions and wear masks. Mask prevent sick person to spread virus to far. Can you smoke in mask? In Some NYC areas people neglect the rules and these areas are mess. People get infected and dying in thousands. Are you infectionist and expert in this area? We are now in NJ very infected area and so far it worked for us.
It helps with a light cough. They just showed on TV that a strong cough can travel 12 feet away(without mask). If you wear a mask the cough droplets go upward and linger in the air longer.
We all understand mask will not protect 100% but even if it protect 50% or lover it still reduce the risk to be infected and some people die. Even 20% from 350m people it 70m reduced infection. Even vaccine may be 50% effective. You have nothing to lose to wear the mask. Educated people should show to wear PPE. For rest of crowd. You are not getting what not English speaking and low educated people will do. I saw crowds in some NYC places and these people are dying by thousands. If you wear the mask what you have to lose, make sense?