That is about post-operative wound infections of surgical patients though, which can come from far more sources than just the face of the surgeon. This conclusion can't directly be applied to upper respiratory infections and their transmission in the non-surgical environment.
And either way there are other reasons to use surgical masks, like preventing the patients blood or other fluids from splashing directly on the surgeons face.

True, but the point is that if masks do little to reduce infections through close contact (and even worsen it) then to conclude that it is somehow protection of respiratory infection, (when the respiratory system is similarly open and exposed as an operated wound) would imply that masks do little to reduce such problems except in a manner of directly coughing into someone's mouth (which is just stupid).

>there are other reasons to use surgical masks, like preventing the patients blood or other fluids from splashing directly on the surgeons face
True, but I don't think people regularly go around splashing blood, plasma and bile at each other in public.