Unmasked

Now comes the tricky part: The end of the pandemic.

Knock on wood, it seems to be in sight. With warmer weather coming and infection numbers all declining, at the local, state and national levels, and with vaccines reaching more than half of the population, it’s enticing to think about this being the homestretch of a terrible time.

But it must be said: There’s a real chance that the pandemic won’t “end,” exactly. It will just enter a new phase, with life returning to near normal, but the specter of COVID-19 not evaporating completely, but instead always lurking just around the corner.

For now, it’s a moment to celebrate, though: Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that this week will be the end of the mask mandate and social distancing for people who have gotten fully vaccinated. There will be exceptions — if you choose to fly (note: you can choose to fly now), you’ll need to wear a mask, ditto the bus, and in schools, hospitals, doctors’ offices and nursing homes. Some people with compromised immune systems, or those who prefer to be extra-careful, will still be masked, and businesses can choose to be a little more restrictive. All of us, including the vaccinated, should be deferential and think of others in those circumstances.

But, for the most part, summer 2021 will be unmasked. And that’s worth celebrating.

What’s crucial now, in this new phase of COVID life, is getting the nation as close to herd immunity as possible, even if fear-mongering influencers, stubborn conspiracy theorists and selfish people will make it technically impossible. Because of them, the virus will still find new bodies to infect, buying time for more mutations, and the COVID vaccine might well become an annual threat, at least for a while.

With all that headwind, it’s truly remarkable that the nation, after stumbling out of the gate in its vaccination efforts, is getting past the 50 percent mark. The next important group will be young people: Many kids are now eligible, and there is plenty of reason to be confident the vaccine is just as safe for children as adults — and, in any case, it’s more safe than actually risking getting the virus, which has caused nearly 600,000 deaths in the United States.

Success in this effort will be important for the fall. It’s far too early to say for sure, but if a solid percentage of schoolage children are immunized, there could well be a start of the 2021-22 school year — unmasked. Kids have rolled with the punches better than any of us, and they’ve been terrific in returning to school with precautions in place. It will be a wonderful moment when they are not only back in the classroom for a full week but can do it without a face covering.

Moreover, in the battle to take away potential fertile ground for COVID-19 to replicate, this young generation will be crucial in getting us even closer to herd immunity, or something close to it. Parents, please make an informed decision to vaccinate your eligible children as soon as possible.

Last Memorial Day offered some hope: We saw warmer weather coming, vaccines were being developed, and there was talk that spending the day at the beach and even dining outdoors were summer activities that should be safe. Summer 2020 turned out to be pretty sweet, and even though it wasn’t even the midpoint of the crisis, it felt like a corner was turned. We all gained a little boost.

This year, Sag Harbor, and other communities, are planning real Memorial Day celebrations. Restaurants appear poised to go back to normal (if they can find enough employees). Live theater, concerts and, yes, even movies will be back. If you squint, this looks like it could be something like a normal summer, something that still seemed far, far away one year ago.

It’s not over, but it’s starting to feel something other than endless. Drop those masks, when appropriate, and take a deep breath.