Masked Avengers?

The clear advice from the WHO and other bodies is that wearing a non-surgical face mask will not protect you from being infected with Covid-19. Having said that, in many countries, the wearing of these coverings, in public, is seen in a substantial proportion of the population. So why do they do it and why do the authorities encourage (or even insist upon) it? There is an interesting (and I find convincing) opinion piece (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/24/face-masks-mandatory-spread-coronavirus-government), making the case that the benefits are more for other people. The virus is passed on by droplets being released into the air, obviously in coughing and sneezing, but probably also in general talking and simply breathing. The mask (or other face coverings) can reduce this spread, limiting transmission of the pandemic. This is especially important because it is clearly evident that some people may contract the infection but be asymptomatic (but probably capable of passing on the virus). This is likely to be very important in locations (like the UK) where most people have not yet been tested for the virus. The author suggests that the UK's advice on face masks is illogical. The government's main concerns appear to be that  1.Wearing a face mask might make people show more risky behaviour (unproven but possible); 2. It reduces the supply of masks to vulnerable care workers (it's not that kind of mask!) and 3. No double blind, control studies on the benefits of mask wearing have been carried out (true but neither have approved strategies, like 'social distancing', been subjected to that degree of scientific rigour). I personally feel that simple face mask wearing would at least be helpful (like 'social distancing') in limiting the spread o the virus.