For any issue of choice a balance needs to be weighed between individual liberty and the good of society as a whole.
For every issue of this nature you will have proponents who say the policy doesn't go far enough and detractors who say it has gone too far. But the policy is changed incrementally in a direction of public support typically lagging a bit behind.
Another example would be the legalization of cannabis. It is incrementally being legalized as public support grows.
The reason mask mandates have become a political football is because of inconsistent messaging (Fauci), politicians caught not following their own advice (AOC, Texas Dems, Obama's party, etc) and the short time period. Cue the boiling a frog fable. And because of the hyper-partisan environment we are in (Trump).