* Having 2% of the population locked down to maintain COVID zero? * Or having 0.3% of your population die, and several times that disabled?

This is a false premise. Their lockdown will only slow the virus spread, unless they stop all travel and trade in their country the virus will find a way in. Everyone in the world will be exposed to the virus eventually. So in the end they will bare the cost of the lockdown and the virus, not either or.