Updating and changing rules reflects improving and novel knowledge. This is preferable to blindly following methods where disproved.
Rapid changes likely damage trust, increase confusion, and risk poor compliance.
A balance of the two is pragmatic, but it still seems to be new ground.
The government had literally one job, don't have a spike during winter when the NHS is most hard up. Instead, we did exactly the opposite, because they didn't have a spine and cancel Christmas.
"The government are now pulling on levers that they have not realised are no longer connected to anything"
Changing the rules may have made sense, but only if anyone was even remotely close to obeying them. I follow the rules as closely as I know how, and even I have been lost many times. Most people have completely given up.