I think the real problem with transitioning to the current state of lockdowns to something that resembles normal is that doing so requires cooperation from everyone to a degree that doesn’t seem possible today. It requires people to wear masks in public, to get tested, to stay home if they get sick and it will require people to be willing to get vaccinated when a vaccine becomes available.
Unfortunately we live in a world where selfishness and greed is the default expectation. In that world in which you cannot count on people to do the right thing, someone has to be a parent and that means the government.