COVID money also came with lockdowns, which reduced spending and thus delayed inflation. It also naturally takes time for inflation to travel from assets to com

COVID money also came with lockdowns, which reduced spending and thus delayed inflation. It also naturally takes time for inflation to travel from assets to commodities to consumer goods. Furthermore there was no justification for raising prices other than "there's now a lot more money floating around, it's a free market baby". Citizens wouldn't accept that, especially as most of them didn't get much richer from COVID money (mostly only asset owners did). But they can accept inflation when it's "caused" by a war instigated by a foreign dictator villain.