> In the early stages, the plan was to not create 100x demand for masks (I mean, there was going to be 10x no matter what) by suppressing public need for them, so as to get the PPE to medical workers.
Where was this stated officially? I see this repeated a lot, but it would be nice to have a primary source.
> If you are NOT sick: You do not need to wear a facemask unless you are caring for someone who is sick (and they are not able to wear a facemask). Facemasks may be in short supply and they should be saved for caregivers.
I think I misunderstood the original comment. I interpreted it to mean that health agencies were deliberately understating the effectiveness of masks to reduce the number of people who wear them. I was more looking for a source on the "deliberately understating" part, but on re-read I don't think that's what the OP was saying.
I don't think I have seen an official source saying "we're deliberately understating the utility or masks, so that care givers can have the limited masks". Instead, there are a lot of communications where their utility was understated; and at least I assume that was a deliberate policy, because that's the most positive thing I can assume about their motives.
Where was this stated officially? I see this repeated a lot, but it would be nice to have a primary source.