Face Masks - mere superstition?

We know that facemasks have no use at all outside, and virtually none when used indoors.  It is an easy subject to research if you doubt that assertion.

Until a couple of days ago,  (regional NSW, Australia)  there was the irrational requirement to wear a face-mask even when outside, even when no-one was close.  Penalty - $500.  And since the police are engaging in 'high-visibility policing,'  ie deliberate intimidation of the populace, it is quite likely the maskless individual will be seen and fined.

But that requirement has been dropped, and masks are only required when indoors. 

And yet, when I went into town today, nearly every person was wearing a mask. I drove past a high school and even there, at least half of the kids (who were outside)  were also wearing masks. 

Why?   Do people believe it offers some protection against Covid even when outside in the sun and the wind?  Even when no other person is near?  

Or are they thinking it is a sign to other people that they are good little boys and girls who do what they are required to do, and then a bit more?  

I think that the wearing of face-masks has gone from being a perceived aid to the prevention of the spread of Covid 19 to mere superstition. It is surely not a conscious belief, but somewhere in their minds, many people think that if they wear the face-mask, no germ (or Virus) will dare to come close. 

During the days of the Black Death, people used to try and avert the threat with 'a pocket full of posy,'  various herbs or flowers.  These days, the face-mask is our equivalent.   It is superstition.  What a shame that the ones who make the rules, arbitrary, ever-changing rules, appear to share that superstition!  

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