I imagine 'reluctant lockdowns' also create unclear messaging, so the general public is less likely to know or follow lockdown rules, making them less effective

I imagine 'reluctant lockdowns' also create unclear messaging, so the general public is less likely to know or follow lockdown rules, making them less effective. As I understand it, lockdowns were generally put in place to stop the hospital system from collapsing under the case load - so I imagine the higher the case count (which typically increases during the first weeks of the lockdown due to lead time) the more time you'd need to resupply, reorganize, process the patients coming through the system, etc.