Flawed as the approach was, it got businesses reopened and kids back in school. We were all mostly happy with that approach. We didn't know any better at that point.
The mandates that were in place in the summer months were mostly theatre. Politicians had to show they were doing something to protect people. By then we mostly knew it was a farce; especially when those same politicians kept getting caught in public places without masks on.
The mandates that were in place after the vaccines had become widely available, were in place to try to incentivize people to go get vaccines (we won't need masks if we can reach herd immunity). They were about control.