We were having similar conversations here in the U.K. last April/May time as the original virus took hold across the country. Lockdown 1 was pretty well respected. Shops just, roads deserted, and people pretty much stayed at home. Lockdown 2 and 3 were differant. Shops had various interpretations of “essential” and so did the public when considering their movements. I guess it’s a natural part of human behaviour to become apathetic to it all if it doesn’t seem to personally effect them.
as things stand. We are pretty much back to normal here now, in fact I’ve just returned from a holiday in the Spanish islands which, apart from masks inside shops etc, was ops normal and it was lovely to see busy airports again.
the U.K. has made many many mistakes dealing with the virus, largely led by inept politicians who have u-turned several times, made several errors in judgement and even been caught breaking their own lockdown rules.
however, we are where we are, and now the vaccine rollout has gone extremely well, cases are still in their throusands per day but deaths are low and the hospitals are not now at a risk of becoming overwhelmed... the actual aim of any vaccine after all.
if there was somehow a way to combine Australia’s original containment with the U.K. Vaccine rollout and youd have a pretty good way to deal with a Coronavirus pandemic. As it is, Australia is going to have a bloody hard time to convince the populous to get the vaccine, which is after all the only way out of all of this.
you just can’t let it rip amongst the unvaccinated. Yes it has a high survival rate for the fit and healthy. But it does fill up hospital beds and you don’t want to be turned away for that heart attack or broken leg because the hospitals are full.