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I keep seeing and hearing this sentiment, but I think it is a false dichotomy. There have been places that responded effectively to the crisis without lockdowns (Iceland, for example). The choices are not strict, widespread, extended lockdowns or no response at all, with nothing in between. We may yet find that those who undertook either of those strategies have both poor economic and health outcomes.

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There's also the fact that people are not robots -- just because you tell them to do something doesn't mean they will do it.

As an example -- even among people that are wearing masks consistently, how many of them are actually following the correct protocols around mask resuse or fit?

Those protocols are designed for surgical masks where the objective is to protect the wearer from droplets. The objective of cloth masks is to protect other people from your droplets (although there is a small protective effect for the wearer too). Even cloth masks with poor fit around the nose have great cost/benefit ratio for reducing transmission.

The discovery of viruses has only become known a little over 100 years ago. Could these people be be skeptic sticklers?

Those places have a populace that is cooperative and considerate of others. In a more "each man for himself" culture it doesn't work so well.

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