The Eastern New Mexico News - Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Just like that, we’re mask-free.

Being an election year I was pretty sure the end was near. I just didn’t know our governor sought one last moment in the spotlight of a pandemic. But after seeing the way a good part of our ordeal played out in front of cameras and on Facebook Live the timing makes sense. While the cameras are trained on you at the end of the legislative session, make a little hay.

After two years of masking up indoors we were all more than ready to burn our nose bras and be liberated. Truth be told, most folks around here had ignored the mask mandate for a long time.

I don’t think I ever dreamed I would have a half dozen face masks hanging off my car’s gear shifter and one in every jacket pocket but that’s where it all ended up. I got used to it and I got through it, but I didn’t like it. Masks might have had some use in fighting the spread of the disease, but I think we all know folks now who got infected despite wearing a mask.

I personally believe that vaccinations are our best virus-fighting tool. I respect your choice if you believe differently, but with an immune suppressed person I love dearly at stake I wasn’t going to take the chance. It was the right choice for us.

I deeply regret how everything about this pandemic has been turned into something political. It happened on both sides of the political coin and it divided businesses and employees, governments and those they serve and even families.

I’ve often wondered what would have happened if government officials had backed off of the mandates and restrictions; if the public wouldn’t have found their own way toward masks and vaccines. Order me to take a vaccine and I’ll fight and resent you. Tell me there’s a limited supply of life-saving vaccine and I’ll knock down old ladies to get a dose.

I truly hate the wedges that have been driven between friends within our community over this nonsense. It was never right to make businesses into the mask police and the nonsense on social media has been plain out of control.

More than anything our young people have borne the brunt of this national experience. Maybe it will build character, but I’m more inclined to think it only robbed them of a couple years of their short and precious childhood. Sports in a mask and staying masked up in a classroom all day is enough to drive anyone over the edge.

My hope and prayer is that we truly are seeing this thing in the rear view mirror now. If we’re not I hope the ways in which we deal with the next outbreak are kinder and gentler.

Karl Terry writes for Clovis Media Inc. Contact him at:

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