They never were, John. We knew that quite literally a century ago, when it was determined that mask wearing had no effect on the transmission of the Spanish flu (a pandemic that actually killed tens of millions of people at a time when the world's population was a quarter of what it is today). Somehow, the entirety of the medical profession forgot about that and insisted that they totally work this time, without ever really explaining why. Trust the Science™, I guess.
Your magic N95s aren't gonna do much either, when you get right down to it. Not only do most people wear masks improperly anyway (I laugh anytime I see a mask over a beard), you're probably readjusting it constantly, moving it around when it gets uncomfortable, and so on, reducing its effectiveness every time you do. And even if it did have a noticeable impact on your ability to catch or transmit disease, do you seriously want to walk around muzzled all day, every day, for the rest of your goddamn life? I mean, if that's your fetish, fine, but don't go forcing it on everyone else.
I thank my lucky stars I live in a state that isn't consumed by coof paranoia. John may have done everything he could to escape the backwards South, but things are much more sane here compared to his enlightened utopia of Massachusetts.