> Let's also not forget that a number of other countries like Sweden didn't lock down at all and are doing fine.
Sweden did a voluntary lock down, which was in practice pretty comprehensive. Even then they still had a death rate per capita many times higher than its neighbours, and it was economically hit just as hard.
Perhaps it was worth a try, but it didn't pan out. Their government even formed a commission to figure out why it went so bad.
This is the critical aspect of the Sweden example: the people of Sweden are rational and everything isn't hyper politicized. Even though they tried a different approach, many still took reasonable precautions. There still were significant restrictions on operations like bars and restaurants.
Sweden was never like the "COVID denier" communities in the United States.
And still its results are relatively terrible compared to its neighbours and peers.
It also wasn't completely voluntary, they closed high schools, they banned gatherings with more than 50 people, they limited how many people could visit bars and restaurants and made them sit at a table. The government didn't sit back and do nothing like many people seem to think.
These restrictions with some give or take are what the world will have to adopt until it's either eliminated or we get a vaccine.
Sweden did a voluntary lock down, which was in practice pretty comprehensive. Even then they still had a death rate per capita many times higher than its neighbours, and it was economically hit just as hard.
Perhaps it was worth a try, but it didn't pan out. Their government even formed a commission to figure out why it went so bad.