In an article written in The Lancet, the authors ponder the timeline from which wearing masks in public to the general population was not recommended to it now being recommended for everyone. The authors discuss the various benefits to mass masking, drawing similarities to the concept of herd immunity. The authors would like to emphasize that wearing masks in public should be done in conjunction with vigorous hand washing and social distancing.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30918-1/fulltext