And they wonder why there's so much skepticism out there. This widespread pattern of dishonestly from the authorities is a major catalyst for that. Every time a public health official gets caught lying, people ask themselves "If they're lying about this, what else are they lying about? Why should i trust anything they say going forward?", and a skeptic is born.

It's as if these officials don't understand concepts like the public trust or credibility. You can't keep lying to people and then just expect them to keep believing you. It doesn't work like that.