> constant covering of everyone's facial expressions (no smiles)

I have noticed little sympathy for this here on HN, as well as in interviews with scientific advisors to my own government (who tell the journalist things like "masks are just a thin little layer of fabric, they have no drawbacks whatsoever!"). Often people point to Asia as a reason people should not feel any unease in a mask, but the smile famously plays a rather different role in Asian body language than in the West.