Managing Expectation
Toning things down.
Since July begins, I've beginning to see the term 'endemic' being used more frequently in the media - including those clearly owned by the ruling elite. This is a marked change from the highly optimistic tone earlier that things will be back to normal.
In short they say COVID will be a seasonal thing and will not really go away.
This can be seen as an effort to manage the expectations of the people. Better to undersell rather than hype up something that can't be delivered.