@naja: can’t read what’s behind the paywall but I would suggest you look at the statistics. Look up Sweden COVID death rate.
Sweden had virtually zero deaths until early November. It started out at about 100 per day in the worst and then it tapered down.
They had lots of infections,their case rate statistics are almost the inverse of their death rates (as I said, they locked down their old age homes while letting young people work and be free). Then November 3rd they started implementing lockdowns similar to other countries because case rates had been “skyrocketing” for nearly 2 months and they implemented restrictions on bars and restaurants. Suddenly their deaths rose to 300 and now 400 per day.
Now everyone is saying that Sweden was right to begin with.
The Uk went through the same thing. Remember when Boris Johnson was going to kill everyone by not locking down enough last summer. During that time death rates plummeted from their initial surge. When they tightened the lockdown rules in early September to only groups of 6, there was a surge in deaths once again.
You may wonder why this is and it’s fairly simple. Let’s say you want to go to the pub or the movies, where are you not: with elderly family, indoors in tight spaces. Let’s say the government tells you you can’t go to the pub or the movies, where are you: visiting your elderly family, staying indoors, more often with family and friends.
The same happened in California. People were enjoying the summer, suddenly in the middle of a heat wave: no more outdoor dining, no more trips to the beach. Where did everyone go? They went indoors with recirculated air. What happened: deaths skyrocketed.
Again, not talking about cases. Talk about deaths. Nobody cares if you’re sick, people care if you’re dead.