SHREWSBURY, Mass. - The federal and state COVID-19 public health emergencies are coming to and end Thursday.

Then-Gov. Charlie Baker first declared a state of emergency in March 2020. What most thought would last for two weeks ended up lasting for three years. Over that time, the state would experience lockdowns, masking and business closures, and then-Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito was in the room, making the difficult decisions for all of it.  

Polito told Spectrum News 1 how intense, emotional and sad the time was from a leadership standpoint. Along with the administration, Polito was making decisions about a crisis no one has ever experienced before and trying to do what was best for everyone in the state.

"I mean, I had a lot of input from municipal officials and I was very appreciative of having that relationship already baked in before COVID slammed down on us," she said. "There was a lot of give and take with mayors and municipal leaders."

Along with local leaders, Polito said it was the front line workers who helped Massachusetts make it to the end, including the teams in central Massachusetts. 

"I think about someone like Eric Dickson and the UMass team, I mean, there was nothing they couldn't do," Polito said. "It was so reassuring to Governor Baker and to me and others that they were ready to take on anything. Setting up the field hospital not once but twice, was a real game changer."

Thursday, on what is a symbolic ending of the COVID-19 pandemic, Polito said she feels grateful. She said one thing her administration did well during such an uncertain time was share information with the public, quickly and accurately.