Costs in the forms of suicide, drug abuse, domestic abuse, and the overall toll on the mental health of so many by limiting activities and freedom of action cannot be understated. Also the economic costs and rising inflation due to printing money without sufficient economic output to accompany it is sure to take a toll on living standards and overall quality of life. Children are also missing out on in-person school and being harmed significantly by periods of social isolation and lack of social experimentation that is important in a standard school setting. The proposed benefits of lockdowns have little grounding in evidence and seem more of a way to punish the entire populace for the negligent actions of people choosing to be reckless by not getting the vaccine or otherwise. It might even be true that Lockdowns can promote spread of the virus, given that people tend to huddle up in tight spaces (aka their homes) when they can't perform most normal activities outside. This is how the Flu tends to spread in Winter, so this isn't too far-fetched. Lockdowns have an adverse affect on the overall morale of people seeking an escape from what seems to be an inescapable situation. There is a line of thinking that even if it can save just a few more lives, lockdowns could be worth it. But at what expense to the lives of everyone, and for other maladies that may befall as a result of the lockdowns? Ultimately it must come down to rational risk-assessment and a reasonable assessment of the risks of being hospitalized or dying from COVID, and perhaps up to people to take precautions for themselves and the vulnerable people around them. It might also have to accepted that the virus is here to stay, and by no means can we eradicate it, and that it simply isn't reasonable to expect this. Perhaps we cannot save people that refuse to take their precautions, especially now that we have the vaccine available to all in the U.S. at the very least.

In my view this depends on the level of vaccination,; in a highly vaccinated country like the UK lockdown is unnecessary.

**We have the data to know just how life-saving lockdowns can be – if they are implemented and followed correctly** The world has seen untold disruption since the COVID-19 pandemic swept the world last year. We have seen that vaccinations are the route out of the worst effects of the virus - but without lockdowns, there would be even more variants, cases, and worse still, deaths. - Studies have shown that non-pharmaceutical interventions, including lockdowns, are [necessary for curbing the spread of the virus](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-020-01009-0), which is an enormous benefit on a global scale - The length of a lockdown can be minimised by assuring it is [implemented before cases have already spread rapidly](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(21)00315-1/fulltext), thus mitigating the worst effects of lockdown on mental health, businesses, and more - Lockdowns have [saved millions of lives](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52968523), and could have saved millions more [had governments acted faster to prevent the virus spreading](https://www.the-scientist.com/features/counting-the-lives-saved-by-lockdownsand-lost-to-slow-action-67689) - Lockdowns are but [one step](https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/20/asia/china-europe-coronavirus-intl-hnk/index.html) in the process of recovery, and shouldn't be considered the final part of a pandemic response The worst effects of lockdown are awful, but they absolutely serve their purpose. The lesson from this pandemic is not that lockdowns are too costly (even though that can seem true) - it is that they must be followed, and implemented, with the strictest integrity.