Control.
Conservatives saw COVID as the government telling them what to do.
"Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect."
They do not want to be bound by the law and, if anything, want to completely be outside of it.
So all the masking mandates, vaccine requirements...they saw that as government oppression.
So anything that hurts their narrative is going to be removed.
It's a good time to remind everyone that then-VP candidate couch fucker JD Vance stood in front of a display case of eggs saying that they were expensive as $4 when signs behind him clearly show the price of $2.99