Macron orders COVID-19 lockdown across all of France; closes schools

Strange, lockdowns but still spreading?

Belgium must lift ‘all Covid-19 measures’ within 30 days, Brussels court rules

https://www.brusselstimes.com/news/belgium-all-news/162742/belgium-must-lift-all-covid-19-measures-withing-30-days-brussels-court-rules-verlinden-human-rights-league-ministerial-decree-penalty-civil-safety-act-pandemic-law-coronavirus/

With the death toll nearing 100,000, intensive care units in the hardest-hit regions at breaking point and a slower-than-planned vaccine rollout, Macron was forced to abandon his goal of keeping the country open to protect the economy.

Macron tried to keep the country open - it didn't work

The French are also not taking their vaccines

That combination spells trouble

Lockdowns don’t work. You need herd immunity.

The French are also not taking their vaccines

Fake news : there is vaccine shortage and waiting list

Lockdowns don’t work. You need herd immunity.

Question: What is the purpose of a lockdown?

If your answer is about ending the virus, then you're wrong.

The purpose of a lockdown is to flatten the curve so that the healthcare and hospitals are not overwhelmed. That does not end the virus, but rather gives healthcare workers some relief to breathe and able to take care of their patients.

It is possible to achieve herd immunity without a lockdown as long as the healthcare and hospitals are not overcapacity. However, if on the way to achieving herd immunity, the healthcare and hospitals are overwhelmed, then a lot of extra unnecessary deaths will occur unless there's some degree of lockdown to flatten the curve back down to within healthcare/hospital capacity.

Achieving herd immunity with a lot of extra unnecessary deaths is a high price to pay that nobody would be willing to sacrifice.

The French are also not taking their vaccines

Fake news : there is vaccine shortage and waiting list

There's both a shortage and a lot of skepticism:

"France, Once a Vaccine Pioneer, Is Top Skeptic in Covid-19 Pandemic"

https://www.wsj.com/articles/france-once-a-vaccine-pioneer-is-top-skeptic-in-covid-19-pandemic-11610971051

An Ipsos poll conducted in December found that France ranked at the bottom of 15 countries on willingness to take a Covid-19 vaccine, with only 40% of the public saying they wanted the shot.

The resistance has historical roots in the 19th century, when antivaccination groups campaigned against modern inoculation techniques discovered by Frenchman Louis Pasteur.