You can see effectiveness of response based on various states and regions that responded differently.
https://www.covidchartsquiz.com/
Nope, the restrictions really didn’t do anything at all.
Just two basic things the charts don't consider:
1. If people followed mask mandates in states (e.g. Alabama vs Florida)
2. Population density and disease spread models (e.g. comparing Montana and Idaho felt like a reach, California vs Nevada doesn't consider spread in major cities vs how many major cities there are in each)
We absolutely should study this later, but some of these restrictions were little to no cost. Let's not lump them all together. Wearing a mask indoors vs if your kid can go to school or not are two very different value equations that may merit different answers of "if a restriction is worth it"