I think you are comparing apples and oranges and actually what actually makes sense.
Wearing an N 95 mask outside for pm 2.5 makes a lot of sense, wearing a surgical mask in an outside environment due to covid makes little. Inside it would be the other way around I'd guess.
Bit of a silly statement by the Deputy Mayor to make though not specifying which masks help, clearly homemade masks and surgical make no impact to pm 2.5 at all.
Good that its being highlighted though, reading the Greenpeace report it seems air pollution is responsible for more deaths that covid.
https://www.greenpeace.org/southeastasia/press/45425/air-pollution-responsible-for-29000-deaths-across-31-thai-provinces-in-2021-greenpeace/