Opinion: Draconian COVID measures were a mistake, let's not repeat them

Almost two years ago, community measures including lockdowns to suppress COVID transmission had widespread support, with a movement (“COVID Zero”) that promoted more draconian measures, hoping to eliminate COVID altogether. Schools, institutions of higher learning and businesses were shuttered. Even playgrounds and outdoor washrooms were closed, and youths simply enjoying outdoor summer parties were vilified. Most of these measures were ineffective, many were harmful. Has anything been learned from these mistakes or will they be repeated the next time case counts go up? We have some thoughts for the future. It is time to accept that COVID-19 cannot be stopped and will continue to evolve. Full faith was first placed in the vaccine, and then in boosters as “our way out of the pandemic.” However, the vaccines don’t stop infections of transmission as much as originally hoped — nor do boosters. The COVID Zero movement is dead, and many early proponents have recanted. It is impossible to stop a virus that spreads before symptoms appear, and with super-spreader events that can infect most people in a room.-- More...