> Until the government bans masks in public places in the interest of, you know "public safety" once the covid-19 crisis blows over.

That's overly fatalistic. China hasn't banned them for that reason, and they're way more interested in that rationale than any government you're likely talking about.

> It sucks that we even need to think about wearing masks to escape facial recognition.

Avoiding facial recognition isn't just about avoiding the government facial recognition.