I call this the "No True Lockdown" argument. If they fail to indefinitely prevent significant outbreaks (and in nearly every case they have), well, it just means they weren't implemented soon enough. Even if they drag on for weeks and months with zero cases, only to have an outbreak at the slightest loosening of restrictions. I guess the idea is that if the entire world did this at once the virus would disappear? Completely unworkable, and almost surely false, given the existence of animal reservoirs.
Your entire framing of these policy choices as inevitable and the only option is baseless. Australia and New Zealand used to be held up as the shining lights of "just act fast enough and you can avoid the need for any sustained restrictions" and now we are seeing just how well kicking the can in that way actually works, and the lengths that must be gone to keep kicking it.
I really don't want to ban you, but you've not only ignored our request to stop using HN as a single-purpose account for ideological battle, you've increasingly crossed into flamewar since then. That's exactly the opposite of ok, so I don't see what choice we have; I've banned the account. This has been a problem for a long time, btw:
If you don't want to be banned, you're welcome to email hn@ycombinator.com and give us reason to believe that you'll follow the rules in the future. They're here: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html.
Is there a way to vouch for the account not to be banned?
This account is one of a few I followed regularly, precisely to maintain some ability for "intellectual curiosity" among the innuendo of the opposite. I don't think there is a reason to believe this person has an agenda. It is just an emotional breakthrough during unprecedented times.
Bad things happen when people are banned for "transgressions" like this one.
I don't see why you put "transgressions" in quotes. What do you think we should do when people repeatedly flout our requests to stop breaking the site rules?
Please don't fulminate or post flamewar comments or call names on HN. All that is against the site guidelines, and we ban accounts that do it. You've unfortunately been doing these things repeatedly. If you'd please stop that, we'd appreciate it.
You end up with aggressive, last-resort measures like extended lockdowns.
Hence my point that there is minimal downside to being overly cautious when you first hear about new variants.