Do face masks provide protection against COVID-19?

There is no scientific evidence that face masks work for the general public. However, there is practical experience that casts doubt on the efficiency of face masks. 

In Sweden, where face masks have been and still are unusual, 93 people per 100,000 have been registered as dead by or with SARS CoV-2 (COVID-19) during the pandemic. The death toll is higher in many countries that have had and have extensive requirements for face masks. These countries have generally also had more extensive shutdowns. 

Country	Number of deaths by or with SARS CoV-2 (COVID-19) per 100 000 inhabitants
Sverige	93
Brazil	98
France	103
Spain	112
USA	115
Great Britain	123
Czeck Republic	124
Bosnia	130
Italy	131
Slovenia	146
Belgium	176

Johns Hopkins 2021-01-12  https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality

On the other hand, there are many countries, with or without face mask rules, that have better figures than Sweden. The international statistics from the world's leading source of information on COVID-19 (Johns Hopkins) is also in many other ways thought-provoking. I f you look closely, you can see that the knowledge about COVID-19 is on an uncertain basis and that what is reported in the media is not always correct. Here is a selection to consider.

Country	Number of deaths by or with SARS CoV-2 (COVID-19) per 100 000 inhabitants
Denmark	28
Finland	11
Norway	9
Afghanistan	6
Venezuela	3.72
Cuba	1.35
China	0.34
Singapore	0.51
Vietnam	0.04
Taiwan	0.03

Johns Hopkins 2021-01-12  https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality