And the Euros have substantially higher Vax rates than the Americans, and are more conscientious about masks and quarantine moreover. Spain in particular is much more compliant in all this. And yet... Covid is, so far, spiking higher there than in the US. All these precautions are not much use.
Having observed covid from the beginning I have to say that business closures, mask requirements and the like have been bs from the start.
IF we really had a devastating plague I can’t imagine it would be handled this way.
There has never been a time I couldn’t freely shop in every box store and supermarket, restaurants have been open most of the time.
I got vaccinated and never had covid a far as I know.
And at this point while there is a huge spread of cases, people are tired of restrictions, everything is open and about half the people don’t wear masks.
Just saying except for vaccines (if they work) there was never a real shutdown like you’d do if there was any hope of stopping a plague.