I think the masks were used to keep a false sense of danger. Take away the masks, try to put the pandemic shit on tv, and people are going to think "i guess there is a pandemic, but i havent nkticed anything here"

Add the masks, they watch tv, they go outside, they see other people who are freaked out and scared and their able to perpetuate the hoax longer and use it as a reason you need to get vaccinated.

Going along with the small lie means going along with the big lie.