Agree, I believe that’s the way it would have gone as well. With infection rates dropping at a similar pattern to the general population. There was already reports and surveys back in December on this, but unions and social media whipped up a frenzy, using the unknown elements of the new variant to ignore the science.
What was all the more frustrating was the schools didn’t close anyway, many were still at 50% capacity which made the whole thing a mockery. They should never have been closed for almost 3 months.