No, force was not needed, just leadership. When the leadership in a nation is not united in there response to an epidemic which was the case in the US and a number of European nations, controlling it becomes impossible. In South Korea and Japan, the government laid out clearly what was needed to stop the virus. The national government set an example for the people, worked with local leaders, created advertising campaign, called up tens of thousands in the military to assist local governments. In South Korea, with a population of 60 million the total number deaths is less than what occurs in the US in single day. Japan has had 1600 deaths, South Korea about 400 while in the US we have had over 217,000. To a lesser extent their success has been repeated in Hong Kong, Thailand, Viet Nam, Australia, New Zealand, and dozens of other courtiers.
The countries that have been the lease successful at control the virus, such as the US, Brazil, Spain, Italy, and Mexico all have one thing in common. National leadership has either been deeply divided, non-responsive, or hostile toward prevention.