They think that this is just a realistically survivable crisis.

That's why I say this and I ALWAYS said this before;

People WILL be locked down, prohibited from gathering or traveling and masked until they break, go insane and commit suicide by the droves. Vaccines are insufficient and too obvious. Gridlock them and force hysteria unto them however, and 20-40% of the population of any given country will cull themselves and NOBODY will know what's going on.