"But dad, I don't want to get in the car."
"Well son, there's no school bus and you can't go on foot or by bike because the roads aren't safe with all those drivers deciding what speed limits suit them and that they are safe to drive while drunk. So it's the car or no school."
"Fair enough dad. I'll stay home and spend my time checking out dubious websites. It's good enough for some."

You keep emphasising my point with such clarity. Dad and/or kid gets a choice.

In your Covid world no one gets a choice. If there's Covid around lock everyone down.

Thankfully the world (except China), even New Zealand, has chosen the peoples choice path. You can only jump on board or be left behind.

I specifically said that was not the only choice.

We don't have any statutory measures in place - outside of medical centres (I wonder why medical people know best) - where I live. The weekly death figures are as high as they have ever been. They don't get much of a choice.

Medical people know the solution to stop Covid spreading and in a very tiny proportion - kill. The solution is to keep people away from each other. But medical people are focused on that single problem.

What has become clear in this pandemic is that very few medical people (or the ones with the loudest and most dramatic voices) failed to see beyond Covid. They were suddenly given all the power, all the fame, and made sure we hung off their every word. Slowly but surely most people got bored of that, and started to realise their agenda, and they got silenced, and people went on to live their lives and took choices like do I take continual vaccines shots or not, do I wear a mask on a crowded train or not.

Those still living on the egos of those loud, dramatic voices are doing themselves a dis-service.

A choice is fine but the opportunity to be able to choose needs to be present. For instance an affordable train network. Trains being as a rule more popular than taking a bus. Cycle infrastructure in place. With feasible alternatives in place decisions on things like driving becomes far more easier to make.