(Context: I'm from Germany.) In retrospect, with the 20/20 vision of hindsight, the one thing all Western governments should have done differently early on is

(Context: I'm from Germany.) In retrospect, with the 20/20 vision of hindsight, the one thing all Western governments should have done differently early on is not to focus on "don't buy surgical masks (because we need them for hospital staff)". Instead, they should have said: "Everyone get out your sewing machines and make face masks for your friends and family." Publish sewing patterns and instructions for free on a government website. Maybe even video tutorials. My mother happened to have all the materials at hand, so I got a dozen high-quality reusable cloth masks early on.