It's not that the masses are dumb or smart. The few deciders from Youtube are not truth dispensers that we should all trust above all else.
Do I need to mention the "kicking babies out of incubators", or the "Iraq has chemical weapons" bits?
Do you honestly prefer to give the manufacture of consent machinery to the exact same people that had it before hand? The very reason why people don't trust the media is because the old "guardians of the news" thoroughly failed at their supposed mission
But aren't Youtube doing this specifically because of pressure from government?
No, more like reducing risks to their brand. Covid is historic and will soil the public image of all these ones whom don't take it as the public health hazard that it is
YouTube is simply minimizing brand risks which can very easily escalate into costly legislative fights, therefore they are maximizing profits on an uncertain time
They decided this move is less damaging to them than not doing it