Fixing the issue is easy, even if brutal. Close everything that can be closed.

As the weather turned colder people started staying indoors and the conditions for transmitting the disease turned more favorable. (Eg restaurants, etc.)

Plus after a critical mass regular (intuitive) precautions are not enough. Eg in France restaurants allowed people to dine if they looked okay, and had a mask on while waiting for a table, and while not actually eating.

Clearly this was too lax. (aug 31 https://www.connexionfrance.com/French-news/Masks-in-Paris-r... )