Buddhism and Pandemics

I had a quick question in regards to the Buddhist view on the recent pandemic. What would the stance be of a Buddhist towards the government tactics of losing jobs if not vaccinated, being locked down etc and mandating the vaccine? Should we be free to choose based on our personal educated opinion or is it a case of always following authoritative orders even if they can be seen as detrimental by a certain percentage of the population? Would compassion, understanding be the best answer towards all sides? Would it make you 'not a Buddhist' if you choose a certain view? Regards, Nik