As a scientist I would advise you never to "follow the science," because "the science" is not a thing. It's not a concept except in the heads of a bunch of empty headed liberals.
Science is an approach to understanding natural phenomena based upon explaining facts/data that anyone with suitable instrumentation can observe.
As such, good scientists can discover things, find facts, disprove things, increase the acceptance of theories by showing that vigorous experiments to confirm the theory support it, and efforts to disprove the theory have failed. Science invents nothing. It is part of an innovative society, and scientists often invent or create things. But so do other people who have no scientific training.
Science cannot make public choices because it is not a thing. Scientists can provide data, can propound models, which maybe be of some reliable degree of accuracy or may not [and when data refutes a model you either drop the model or modify the model].
So only a fool "listens to the science." You are never listening to "science" which is a silent god. You are listening to very fallible human beings many of whom long ago ceased to be scientists if they ever were, and are trying to use their authority and prestige, cloaked in "science" to persuade you or command you to do something which a reasonable person might not choose to do.
Only a society of humans can innovate forward to reduce the impact of COVID-19. Some of this involves trying lots of things and finding out what works and what doesn't, rejiggering institutions and the engines of production and distribution to minimize the impact of the pandemic while providing all the things humans rely upon their society for.
Those are all public and private choices. Scientists can provide some information on which to make decisions. Scientists can create inventions which will alleviate some of the problems.
But scientists are no better at making choices about how you should live your life than are the politicians who pander to the science as another mechanism for wealth and power.
Thank you for a very well written post. Gives me much to think about.