We didn't have any lockdowns or social distancing in 2018, this is why coronavirus deaths are only slightly higher than 2018 flu/pneumonia deaths. The coronavirus is definitely more dangerous for the elderly than the flu. Sweden didn't have a real lockdown and their COVID deaths per capita is 140% higher than Canada's. Someone here seriously brought up Taiwan as a counter-point. But Taiwan shut their fucking border off to China back in January. You can't do a light touch method without Sweden-like casualties if you don't shut the border early. Containment was no longer a real option for Canada back on March 16th. Especially when the US border was wide open until then. You would have had to ban all non-essential travel back in January (including the United States and Europe) and banned everyone who isn't a Canadian or permanent resident from coming in. And enforcing 14 day quarantines for people coming in back in January.

The flu appears to be more dangerous for young people than the coronavirus. However the flu is still largely harmless to the vast majority of young people.

Now that COVID hospitalizations and deaths are way down from peak levels, we should be re-opening society more and should start schools in September.