A "normal flu season" would not result in over a half a million people dying from it in the U.S.
The incidence of the normal flu cases being seen by doctors and hospitals is way down from a normal year. That is mostly due to limiting the spread of the flu by the use of masks. This is simple science...
It's actually pretty easy to stop the spread of covid and regular flu viruses, but people won't do it. Lockdowns happened because people refuse to do the simple things to slow the spread. Grocery stores have proven that it is entirely possible for businesses to slow the spread without closing.