It's about the timing of the lockdown - once the virus was already widespread, you're closing the barn door after the horse bolted. NZ locked down while spread

It's about the timing of the lockdown - once the virus was already widespread, you're closing the barn door after the horse bolted. NZ locked down while spread was limited, and has had no new cases for 12 days, and only one remaining active case, as a result - but again, it was the timing of the lockdown - if it had happened 2 weeks later, who knows how it'd be doing.