Some people felt it wasn't worth the slightest bit of sacrifice to save other's lives.
Some people felt all human life was sacred and we should've done everything possible to save every last day of every person's life.
The vast majority of people were in the messy middle, and the debate centered around how much we should give up to save lives - especially when it might have long-term negative consequences.
A lot of people were willing to isolate and wear masks - and the debate centered around whether the government has the right (or should) force people to do those things.
A lot of people thought if you can't force everyone - it's a suckers game. Why should I isolate when other people aren't, and the effects are minimized - etc.
It's not as simple as "mask and isolation good", even if there is good evidence it worked for the initial strains of Covid.