I cant help but feel that the govt is simply not listening properly to the expert advice, or listening selectively, at least. They seem to be making decisions based on politics, not the science. Just look at johnson reducing lockdown. No criteria were met, other than the fact he needed something to take the conversation away from dominic cummings. It worked. People dont care so much now they are allowed ou tmore. In fact cummings doing what he likes has given many others the right to do as they please too IMO.
I totally get that and am sure you're right to an extent but reading this board, I would suggest he's made anything BUT populist decisions.
The Chancellor has made a lot about the financial and health implications of an extended lockdown and although I could see his thinking, I was sceptical about how much difference it would make.
A quick search and some headlines jumped out at me.
500,000 extra cancer deaths worldwide post 2098 crash, due to austerity between 2008-10 according to The Lancet
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/25/financial-crisis-caused-500000-extra-cancer-death-according-to-l/amp/#aoh=15912421042213&referrer=https://www.google.com&_tf=From %1$s
10,000 extra suicides in Europe & USA
BBC News - Recession 'led to 10,000 suicides'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-27796628
to name just two.
With (potentially) many others, makes you realise what a fine balancing act governments around the world have in keeping people safe from COVID, keeping health services from going under and keeping other deaths from getting out of hand and potentially claiming more lives than COVID-19 itself.
The claim that people are happy because they can go out more doesn't ring 100% true either, people have been "going out" for weeks. A visit to any beach, park, or city on a sunny day has proved that.
I'm not saying The Govt are totally blame free, very few are or have been over the years.