in the file
/woocommerce/assets/js/admin/wc-shipping-zone-methods.min.js
there is a function
moveHTMLHelpTips: function(n)
this switch can be commented out:
if (o.some(e=>a.includes(e))) {
t.find(label[for=${a}] span.woocommerce-help-tip
).addClass(“wc-shipping-visible-help-text”)
} else {
…
}
and the front-end form works again
not ideal because it is editing the woocommerce core js file but it gets it back working in the meantime