There's no question this would be a smart and sensible policy to promote. During the peak of the pandemic we saw flu rates drop to almost nothing. It directly correlated with masking and social distancing. It doesn't take a genius to understand that the winter months are when respiratory illnesses peak and the use of masks would limit the spread.
Unfortunately this easy solution to a common problem got sucked into the culture wars and some people are going to die on the hill of never wearing masks. Those people are fucking stupid. But it's not illegal to be a dumbass in this country.