When those in favor of the greatest restrictions lose their seats to those in favor of loosening restrictions. Regardless of which path is best for public health, it is obvious that public patience is wearing thin and will continue to do so. Eventually people will be willing to wait no longer and will replace those who are standing in the way of resuming their lives. Screams of "you're killing people" will increasingly fall upon deaf ears. Messages of "this is the new normal" and "we're never going back to the way things were" were terrible mistakes. Fear can only rule for so long before someone else offers hope and uses that to win.

Of course if people supporting either path decide to get violent and go some road other than democracy, all bets are off on how it will turn out. Doubt that happens though as much as some might fantasize about it. It's almost all downside for everyone involved.