The idea that coronavirus lockdowns are insidious plots to seize power at the expense of personal liberty is an unfortunate cope. The politicians of Western liberal democracies are too incompetent, venal, and simply lack the will to power to actually carry out such a grand
conspiracy. Rather the lockdowns are a culmination of long term trends in the Western body-politic; doing something pointless and probably self destructive as bureaucratic cover your ass to dodge any potential of being held responsible all to avoid having to take decisive action.
Closing down shops and restaurants and evening curfews are the security theater of pandemic response. Disruptive and pointless, but easy to do via bureaucratic channels. Actually infringing on individual liberties through mass centralized quarantines and contact tracing that will
end a pandemic is hard and politically risky and will require the exercise of state power beyond legal games that politicians normally play.
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