The pandemic, or the specific individuals in positions of power who chose to implement specific policies? Which policies were often based on assessments of risk

The pandemic, or the specific individuals in positions of power who chose to implement specific policies? Which policies were often based on assessments of risk that were (charitably put) only mildly informed by reality or rationality. Actual people made mistakes that need to be acknowledged here: Not "so we can punish them" but to help ensure we don't cheerfully march into such errors again.