you've been told a hundred times before that masks are generally worn to protect others FROM you, and not the other way around.
surgical masks dont create a seal, so they dont necessarily protect the wearer from catching a virus that can be breathed in (as i said in an earlier post, something like an N-95 mask would do a better job of that). with that said, even a surgical mask does provide some incidental protection to the wearer, but not significantly to the point where people should feel confident wearing it for their own safety. at a time when the virus was contained, or at the least, not very far spread, it doesnt necessarily make sense to have everybody wearing surgical masks. but now that its everywhere and its impossible to know at a given time who does or doesnt have it (short of everybody getting tested weekly), it makes more sense as a precautionary measure. if there's incidental protection to the wearer, thats just a bonus.
the cdc knew that surgical masks dont give much protection, which is why they werent recommended at the time. N-95 style masks were in short supply, and it was needed by medical professionals as PPE, which is why people were cautioned against buying them.
however, now that the virus has spread considerably, to the point where we have millions of active cases, it does make sense to have people wear masks in public to prevent unnecessary spread of the virus
this congressman-elect was a dip for going to public events where nobody (including himself) seemed to be wearing a mask, at the time there is a contagious virus going around