Fauci isn't anti-mask. The thing back then was that there was a PPE shortage for hospitals so he didn't want people panic-buying masks until that got sorted out to prevent the health care system completely collapsing from running out of staff.
Lying to the public with a reason is still lying to the public and severely damaged his credibility. More so in that I don't think he feels he made a mistake in lying in the public and will do it again. We now know that what he (and the rest of our public health apparatus) tell us is not necessarily the truth but what they think will work out best for them.
Is it best for them to pretend that the virus didn't originate in a Chinese lab who's research into these viruses they funded?
Maybe they will discount/"de-bunk" and then ban those questions. We won't get to even talk about the facts of the situation.
Maybe these Chinese labs were subcontracted to do the research because in the US and other free countries "Gain of Function" research methods especially with dangerous pathogens were restricted and placed under ethical scrutiny. But "what happens in China stays in China" wink, wink.
Actually that is just like other things done in China, don't ask too many questions about how the "sausage/iPhone/dog food/drywall/Hong Kong policy" is made.
When these questions were most important at the height of the outbreak with many unknowns, The first instinct of these people was to lie to the public. I don't think their instincts have changed.
What creates more panic ? Panic and confusion comes when the public knows that they cannot trust what they are being told. They cannot trust that the questions that need to be asked can even get past the high-tech censorship of the tech media which supports the interests of those currently in power.