A respiratory pandemic is raging globally. Millions are sick. Thousands are dying. Governments are confused. Vaccines are months away.
You are the mayor of a village of 1000 citizens. You have procured several months of supplies. You have closed the roads. No one is allowed in or out. Your village is safe from the pandemic! The citizens love you and hug you in the street! You have an 85% approval rating.
Unknown to you, one villager is already asymptomatic. He has been infecting other villagers. In time, more villagers will get sick. Some will die.
You will decide when to deploy the interventions to reduce the spread. While these interventions save lives, but citizens don't like them. Your ratings are going to drop!
But you can manage the drop in popularity. If your decisions are good, your political approval rating carry you through the next election.