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@cwebber We actively worked against doing the right thing in the West, mainly because of right wing and corporate political pressure coming out of the US and UK (and some bad actors at the WHO that managed to shut down the sensible voices). Asia, in general, took it far more seriously and were more prepared (South Korea being the most prepared because of their previous experience with SARS but we also had post-SARS pandemic preparedness we let lapse, despite consistent warnings we were entering an era of pandemics).
Also, COVID being endemic doesn't mean there's less risk. Yes vaccines are helpful for reducing death and overall risk but they virus hasn't gotten milder and continues to mutate and cause Long COVID and immune suppression even in vaccinated people. All in all, the simple act of masking on public transport (including flights) protects us from a lot of different illnesses and from potentially becoming a vector of disease ourselves and harming others.