A lot of countries have done masking as a default during flu season, without the massive chorus of whining from dipshits about it. Social distancing and lockdowns are obviously a bigger deal but this stuff could be targeted and less extreme than we've had to, pre-vaccine. The vaccine clearly reduces the severity of the spread even if it doesn't eliminate the possibility.
The word "endemic" is doing a lot of work in these kind of posts. It's quite compatible with absolutely ghastly public health outcomes, and frankly we don't know how bad it's going to get. You can spout cliches about "free societies" and "accepting the risk" and "moving forward with normal life" until you're blue in the face (maybe literally?) but maybe the normal life we're talking about down that path involves a order-of-magnitude increase in Parkinson's and Lewy body dementia.
I hope y'all enjoy changing diapers.
You obviously can't expect most people to continue tolerating masking, social distancing, and lockdowns indefinitely with no clear, achievable exit criteria. That would be absurd and people in free societies won't comply regardless of the potential consequences. You can complain that they're being irresponsible and putting others at risk but that won't change the reality.
At some point we'll have to accept the risk and move forward with normal life. Fortunately the vaccines are very effective at preventing deaths.