If you look in to the success and then subsequent failures in Uruguay it gives a pretty good picture. They shut everything down very early on, and were hailed as having one of the best responses and lowest rates of infection in the World, they shifted away from this during 2021 and everything went the opposite way completely.
Just to highlight how well they reacted initially in comparison to our shit show, the first case was confirmed in Montevideo, all public events were cancelled, and areas prone to crowding were closed, schools were closed and their border with Brazil was shut. They also managed to trace the first outbreak to a wedding, and within 24 hours all of those who attended were tested and were isolating. This was also applied to the next 3 outbreaks, two care homes and a city close to the Brazilian border.