I think what I was referring to, and the examples you're giving, are very different. The early advice against masks were the best advice public health could give, with the information that was available (even among experts) at the time. I would give the same advice as Fauci at the time. There are a bunch of factors to consider: behavioural (people having a false sense of security and taking greater exposure risks, or people not using masks properly and actually increasing their risk), medical (at the time, the benefits of non-N95 masks were not as clear as they are now) and system-level (supply chain issues were real, many countries had a really hard time getting procurement of basic PPE for hospitals... and you want to make sure you prioritize hospital workers over the general population)