My hometown is as deep blue as it comes and masking is still the norm. Most stores still require it and you STILL see people in cars alone, walking down the street, even jogging(!) wearing masks. I never wore masks outside and regularly got dirty looks from maskers while hiking or walking down the street.
I'm on vacation now to a red area and it's such a relief to be gone from that. I didn't even realize how oppressive the constant masking is. I took my kid to a playground yesterday that must have had 50-60 people (kids and adults) and not a single mask in sight. My kid was nervous at first (he's had to mask at school for 8 hours a day), and now he can't shut up about how great it is not to wear masks.
It's wonderful.
If people actually had the balls these kids would have been maskless last year. Herd sour.
Mandatory, state-wide.
The state has statewide school mask mandate. The county and city (including elected sheriff) are solid blue. A minority (~1/3) of school parents kept their kids home rather than risk going to school even masked, and at least one teacher quit rather than return from virtual teaching. I would estimate a solid majority of parents are pro-masking.
In the face of all that, what's the point of using my kid to pick a fight? I don't see any positive outcomes. I argued against requiring the kids to mask, and I (and others who agreed) lost.