I live in a mandatory mask state and I don't wear them. Our local police chief and county sheriff have both said they will not respond to 911 calls about people not wearing masks, they have more important things to handle. So I have little to worry about in the way of fines. I have had 2 store employees so far say something to me about not wearing a mask and I just say to them "I know you have to tell me that" and then just keep on with my business. So far no one has asked me to mask up or leave the store, but if they did I would put the mask on. I look at it as the same as the "No shirt, no shoes, no service" signs - it's their store and have that right to require it. As far as the effectiveness of masks, I say bullshit. Many of the masks sold have disclaimers on the packaging that says they are not effective in preventing the spread of covid19, so the manufacturers know they are useless. They are just symbolic. I'm old enough to remember having air raid drills in school where we had to hide under our desks in case of a nuclear attack, as if that would do any good! The teachers and all the adults knew it was totally useless, but the point was to make us kids "feel" somehow safer and therefore less anxious about a nuclear attack. I believe the mask mandate is similar, designed to make the public "feel" safer, nothing more nothing less.