Why do you think thousands of deaths don't matter?
'Back to normal' would see tens of thousands more people die. People don't want to die or see their relatives die, which is why your suggestion of going 'back to normal' is nuts.
Healthy people in their 20s are not immune from this seriously affecting them, let alone those around them...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-52572794
Away and neutral aren't the same though, a benefit of being away is the home team is often expected by their fans to be on the front foot which opens them up for counter attacks. Games at neutral stadiums won't have an expectation on the 'home' side by their fans.
The club reportedly offered him £120k p/w according to the Telegraph. It was a huge amount in world football, not their fault Everton offered even more.