These days, it’s not uncommon to hear that we’re moving on from the pandemic. But what exactly does that mean? A few months ago, I went to Lamb County, Texas to find out. Nearly one out of every 100 residents in these rural, panhandle towns has died from COVID-19, one of the highest death rates in the nation. Many people there were immersed in right-wing misinformation during the pandemic, and they continue to believe that the virus was not that bad, even when they know people who died from it. Others are still angry over the loss of people they loved, but they don’t have a clear idea of who to blame. It became clear to me that the pandemic was not merely an event over the past three years—it’s a reverberating, resonating crisis that still affects people to this day, and which changed places like Lamb County forever.

• Lingering horror: Many of those who handled the bodies are still coping with what they experienced. Gary and Rhonda Yesel, funeral workers in Lamb County, say they worked 18-hour days to keep up with the tide of deaths. "If we hadn't worked, we'd probably have bodies stacked up at the gate," Rhonda says.
• Political tribalism: For many people, disregarding masks and vaccines became bound up with religious and political identity. “No matter where you landed on the issue, you were either shredding the Bible, or shredding the Constitution,” says Mike Bryant, a pastor.
• Permanent loss: “They say that when you lose somebody, it gets easier [over time],” says Amelia Zamora, who lost her brother. “I think it gets harder … You never get to hear their laugh. You never get to experience the joy that he brought into our lives. He’s gone.”

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