Or is it is the right thing to do regardless the inevitable political cost?
This is a virus new to the human biome. We know nothing about its long-term effects on the human body. We know that the CCP took political and economic risks in trying to shut it down in the big cities in early 2020–actions that indicate this virus is a phenomenal threat. We know that in a fair few countries, the virus is chewing through the population and overwhelming hospitals and morgues.
All signs point to this novel virus being some really bad news for human lifespans. It…fucks the body up in quite a few ways, in quite a few people. It’s not a harmless new virus.
So maybe it’s just me, but I can see a POV where it’s not about “power and control”, it’s about preventing a staggeringly huge number of people from being incapacitated or impaired or relatively short-lived.