In my mind i questioned why bother wear a mask all the time if you're wearing a prosthetic?, but the answer to that is simple: you'd wear it hide the prosthetic

Right, and note that he's not showing his whole head, just face, and only once. It almost had to be deliberate.

The other thing is they haven't caught him yet. Or gotten any leads/sightings. You've got all the surveillance tech, we gave that up in 9/11 & Covid - but the FBI's computer might hasn't tracked the face down from their database? Mask would explain that.

And remember the discarded cup or water bottle, backpack, staying at the hostel... they'd certainly be able to get DNA somehow.

I mean if you really, really want to go foil hat, he could plant DNA, maybe multiple DNAs.

The whole thing has theatre written all over it. Sociologically, it's significant how much resonance it struck with the public. But like the prosthetic face, it seems too perfectly scripted. The Joker movie come to life. Which makes me wonder if it's not a game-simulation projection onto Plato's proverbial cave wall.

It does indeed. It's a little reminiscent of the Unabomber. Regardless, it has struck such a chord with the public that the FBI must be wondering how to handle this. How are they going to make this person out to be a monster when they killed someone who just about everyone feels represents everything that is evil about the American health care system? They're going to have to find some way, if they find the person, to assassinate their character. Raising questions of them being involved in child pornography, for example, would immediately damper any public enthusiasm for support, even if they never prove it. Just raising the question would do it.

Ironically, it may also have consequences for Covid mask wearing. Could it go from compulsory to banned ? In both instances the reasoning will be to keep us safe. Which seems to be the reason for everything.

I've wondered about this. He got on a bus to New York, wearing a mask, and providing no ID. Are they now going to require IDs to board long haul busses? It will certainly tighten the noose of surveillance in some way.

Below is an example of a realistic face mask.

Now that looks convincing!