I don't live in the US. France and Italy had policies closer to Chinese ones, but not as stringent, you had fines in some places if you were unlucky, on paper though you weren't supposed to be outside much if at all.

Everyone knew COVID was everywhere and yet from one week to the next the French government changed its tune completely, and conflicting information, empty promises and moving goalposts were the norm 2020-2022.

I never stopped working because I had an “essential” job. At first we weren't provided masks then a few weeks later we would get punished if we didn't wear them, we were told to keep a distance working manual jobs in teams, and there were zero scientific references for most decisions being taken. It was a giant circus.