Even before that. 2020 was massive escalation, but the basic pattern was set. Something bad happened for which you had no control or responsibility. We must curtail your freedom for the greater good to stop the bad things from happening. More of the same bad things happen so we'll further curtail your liberty with more of the restrictions which did not stop the bad things. Eventually if we keep doing what never worked before it will work because we just haven't done enough of it yet.

If enough people pay attention to outcomes by looking at actual observations of what is happening and start to question the methods, no problem: will cherry pick and misrepresent some subset of data to "prove" that what didn't work worked. When that is no longer enough, no problem, we will make up some "data" that supports what what didn't' work is working. When that isn't enough we target people who've NOT joined our madness and make them demon spawn, murderous extremists and domestic terrorists for the crime of thinking they could just be left alone. If they join together to peaceably resist oppression by participation in the political process we'll call that organization terrorists.

All that's been going on for decades before 2020. COVID just was more overtly extreme. Proving what I've said for decades: when injustice and oppression happen and you think "well it doesn't affect me, I don't do THAT and so don't care" eventually the same thing will happen about something you DO care about, like for example making a living, or continuing to live.