The point is to prevent viral videos from getting widely viewed during their peak. To cut it off. It doesn't matter if the block is removed some days or weeks later and then there's a trickle of traffic. This is the status quo for corporations that wish to suppress content on Alphabet's platforms. Another well known recent example is Forbes attacks on Gamer's Nexus investigative documentary on the GPU black market that competed with their video.

Isn't the damage done though? Like if they were down at the time when people were told that win10 reached end of support and it's time to get on 11 does it matter that they are up now?

Anyway I doubt youtube did this intentionally, but it does show how vulnerable their system is to false reports.

TBH the title is clickbait given the outcome.