It's much easier for a politician to give a worst case scenario and then take credit when things don't turn out as bad as everyone expected. Should be worth a few votes if the borders can be opened up early.
The virus was a wave which washed across the world, countries which got hit first are largely on the road to recovery, those hit later still have a few weeks to go, but I think most people would agree that the worst is over and light is starting to appear at the end of the tunnel. Infection and death rates have slowed, health systems in developed countries were stretched but coped.
Talk is now of how to lift restrictions and open up gradually rather than of imposing further measures. Some regions of the world will remain off limits for varying lengths of time, and there will be sporadic outbreaks to be dealt with but we can now concentrate on the road to recovery.
We will have to get used to wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing for a long time to come. The Australian standard of hat, sunglasses and sunscreen when going outside will now include a mask.
The issue now is dealing with the economic impact that the virus has had. Flying will return in phases as demand picks up, what the final picture will look like is anyone's guess.