Due to the conflicts among the four ideological factions, the GOP has a schizophrenic view of the state. It is as libertarian as can be with regard to business interests, but authoritarian on social issues, because the impacts of the cudgel are felt by Democrats, not Republicans. Freedom for me, but the smack of authority for thee, in other words.
This paradigm doesn’t work in a pandemic, because GOP voters can suffer from and spread the virus just as easily as Democrats. The only way you can stop a pandemic is through action, whether voluntary or mandated, which includes everyone. So how does the GOP deal with this clear conceptual failure? By pretending that the pandemic doesn’t exist, talking about other issues, and waiting for better days.
It is just like 2008, when it was obvious to the public that the GOP standard formula of tax cuts and deregulation was not a plausible solution to a financial crisis. Let’s hope for the same electoral result.