[downerending]

Arguably we should. For that matter, we should really do more about traffic fatalities. Bringing that down would be far easier per person than fixing flu or coronavirus.

We're not going to, though, and it's becoming less clear why COVID-19 is an exception. It reminds me some of 9/11--it's flashy and freaking everyone out, which leads to irrationally conservative behavior.

[maxerickson]

It's because it is a much bigger immediate problem. Look at the Mortality Surveillance section on https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidvi...

That's with lock downs.

It's also hard to say what individual behavior would look like absent government orders to close businesses. Retail business could well be way down without any orders.

[downerending]

I think the original US lockdowns should have happened far sooner and been far more stringent. In my ultra-liberal state, the governor decided just within the last week or two that schools should definitely be closed until July. Idiot.

But, as we pass the initial peak and have better experience and surveillance, we should very carefully consider what to do next. Just locking down for a year or two is not the "safe" option.