This is true but a more subtle distinction about size of droplet.
If the virus spread primarily by aerosols then cloth and surgical masks would have little preventative value. But we know that they do have preventative value.
The reality as understood today is a mix of droplet sizes. Larger droplets carry more load and hence more risk but work over a smaller radius. But smaller droplets can carry enough load to infect; especially since later variants seem more infectious (i.e. require a smaller load to gain a foothold).
Not so. Surgical masks still filter about 50-60% of aerosols. They are made of similar material to N95 masks, only issue is fit.
A 50-60% reduction has substantial effects! There's been a lot of "perfect is the enemy of the good, and the good is useless" in this pandemic, but we know that 100% of people do not get instantly infected when exposed, so dropping levels by half will have a substantial impact, especially if the infected source wears such a mask too
If the virus spread primarily by aerosols then cloth and surgical masks would have little preventative value. But we know that they do have preventative value.
The reality as understood today is a mix of droplet sizes. Larger droplets carry more load and hence more risk but work over a smaller radius. But smaller droplets can carry enough load to infect; especially since later variants seem more infectious (i.e. require a smaller load to gain a foothold).