If SK is hovering at 500, then they have R=1.
NZ has R <1, but nowhere close to R=0. They have occasional seeds, most of which cause no more than 1 or 2 cases. A few cause a mini-outbreak before they are put out. Might be R=0.8?
If you look at US, very few places ever got much above R=1.3.
The difference in effort between R=1.3 and R=0.9 is large, but not huge. You need to find a way to stop about 1/4 of the transmissions that remain. That is all.
That’s why I think moderate measures, if enforced, would be enough. An additional 25% reduction in transmission doesn’t sound impossible.
You just can’t be colossally stupid like Michigan is right now. They had things under control, R=0.87 on Feb 02. So they opened up indoor dining just as b.1.1.7 started to grow. And now they have R=1.6, despite the last 2 months of vaccinations.
That’s not inevitability. That’s just stupid policy.