It all depends upon the mask that you are wearing as to the answer to that question.
Some masks barely if at all protect the wearer others protect the wearer quite a good bit. They of course cost a good bit more and they are not stitched together on the home sewing machine. The are also fit to your face and you test them each and every time you put them on to ensure they seal properly. I have used those type of masks in rather harsh and unhealthy environments. I have worn one of these masks in one instance since this Covid pandemic started when away from my work. I hope that I can avoid feeling as if I need to do so again but will if needed. I do not wear the cloth mask that 95 % of people wear. I wear and use properly fitted N-95 masks except for that one instance I mentioned above when I am out in public. They are far better than the cloth but the cloth are far better than nothing. Believe what you want but the technology does not lie.
If you have ever heard of or read about the "swiss cheese methodology" of accident analysis, masks wearing has a somewhat analogous connection. As an example. Washing hands does not do everything, social distancing does not do everything. Mask wearing does not 100% prevent an asymptomatic individual from passing the virus to others. Wearing a mask, even the most worthless kind gives you a small amount of protection (not much) and a good and properly fit mask and filters will provide nearly 100% protection. None of them by themselves will totally protect you from the virus. Even a full bio suit will not protect you if you break protocol. One break in the chain of protection can be the link that allows the bad event to happen.
No the public will never have the protection to fully ensure they are safe from the virus. Even our front line workers in the Covid wards at hospital don't have this gear (cost, etc)
Bottom line - protection is analogous to the layers of an onion. Layers of techniques to minimize your exposure is what you want. Why would you ignore one of those techniques? That might be the hole in the swiss cheese that allows the bad event to occur. Keeping those holes from ever lining up is the goal, whether it is in accident prevention or it in is virus infection prevention.
As was stated in a movie years back though: You can't fix stupid!