We had valuable time to get a better plan. However,it is true that SE Asian countries were better prepared because of their experience with SARS and Avian Flu. They also in the main have a culture more receptive to wearing masks. As we sat for 7 hours in Singapore Airport in February, on our way back from NZ, it was dramatically clear that everybody local and many in transit were wearing masks,
The herd immunity idea was always absurd, in that it needed a critical mass that could only evolve over years and then augmented by vaccines.
Maybe a 'council of perfection' but if we had task-forced urgently developing a large testing capability and not told people that wearing masks was futile, we would be in a better place now.
There is a reason why China diverted face mask production to domestic use and why S Korea et al all wear masks. It is because they are very useful at 1) stopping you inadvertently touching your mouth & nose 2)stops you, if infected, from sneezing on other people ( more efficient than social distancing) 3) Has a limited short term filtration value (STEL) if N95 and above.
My son in Shanghai says there are now volumes of facemasks surplus to domestic needs. He has personally provided the British Embassy with a contact who has just fulfilled a 1 million mask order for the Spanish Government.
Personally, for some time, I have not gone into any public space without a N95 mask, glasses and gloves. Same with my wife who was actually verbally abused in a well known shop for doing so. "Utterly pathetic" a couple decided to shout at her without knowing her ( or my) risk profile or respecting that people have different responsibilities for others at stake.