Yes... and this in part because there was so much bullshit put out by the governments that was not based on real data.
The first order of business to get the public on board... is data... facts and intelligent guidelines base on those facts.
There was no fucking way you were going to get half of the public on board when you had morons running around acting like you we had to be scared of other people outdoors.
Yet many times I was confronted on hiking trails by morons telling me to wear my mask.
I had to tell them that the country rule was... if you maintain six feet you don't have to wear one.
One woman in particular went crazy.... when I told her the rules.
She started swinging her walking stick at me. I told her she just risked her health by getting inside droplet range.
She went even more nuts. I looked at her husband and said if you are so fearful why are you out here?
Another time... as my son and I were walking up... without our masks... a group told the ranger.
The ranger knew I hiked there all the time. He explained there is one spot where the trial was not 10 feet wide and that most likely we were walking around that section.
When have crazy uninformed people and non data based laws you are going to have compliance issues.
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Closing down beaches and parks and hiking trails was obviously insane.
Demanding masks be worn outdoors was not data based.
So therefore you idea of basic compliance and data... most likely do not agree.
Had the morons in charge... shared the data and said things such as...
the high risk have to protect themselves even in their homes.
That masks don't protect the wearer..
That healthy you kids can go to school but unhealthy kids can stay home...
We would not have had morons running around shaming far more informed people.
Asian countries by and large fared the pandemic best overall because they had basic compliance with the most simple preventive measures. Many never even had to shut down or impose restrictions because most citizens were compliant with mask wearing, hand washing and distancing.
However, to be fair the Asian countries also have experience with new highly contagious pathogens so they have been through enough pain to learn the basics is all you need.
We in the west have not learned anything from this ordeal. There’s still too much fighting over the basic preventive measures and denial of the seriousness of disease.