Ultimately it's none of my business, but I mostly agree

I would say at this point if someone has a covid concern they should be rocking an N95, nothing less.

For some of the people wearing cloth masks, I despair that medical guidance has failed and become politicized and that people are stuck in 2020 guidance, but again, I cannot prove that and it's not my business.

There may absolutely be people who are actively sick, and Asian cultures have worn medical masks for quite a while. There are other respiratory diseases out there other than covid that may benefit from such masks on public transit.

As far as people at these protests, I am fairly sure they are an example of masks as both a political gesture and a means of disguise from authorities.