Except there is a reality where people have been concerned enough about each other, listen to what is mandated and do the right thing. This logical (and yes, emotional) response has saved countless lives and allowed relative normalcy to prevail.
The gung-ho attitude you're displaying is indicative of South Africa in general, and is the reason so many unnecessary deaths occurred. Had cooler heads and concern prevailed that number could be closer to zero.
We observe mask wearing, we observe sanitising, we observe social distancing, and yet all of those things do not stop the virus, neither singularly nor collectively, all they do is reduce the chance of infection, nothing more , nothing less.
The response may have saved some lives, and normalcy is a fallacy and lie. There is nothing normal about life at the moment, there is nothing normal about the countless people whos livelihoods have been ripped away from them or the amount of people who have little to no future due to lockdowns and restrictive measures brought on, not by logical thought , but by panic and emotional snap judgements from governments who have been screwing up health care systems via budget cuts and hospital closures for the last decade or more in countless countries.
Gung-ho attitude ? LOL ,no, life as it is and not through some rose tinted glasses.