This whole #coronavirus situation might make more sense to people once they understand that nearly every govt in the worlds' policy right now is NOT based on preventing spread of the virus. Whether they admit that or not. They've long since given up on that possibility. 1/-

^ 2/- Govts are operating under the likely assumption that 80%+ of us all will be infected within the next year, and the rest shortly after. And that there is NOTHING they can do to prevent that at this point, that was lost months ago already.

^ 3/- Every measure and policy govts are enacting now is to balance three concerns to stabilize their respective states as much as possible:
1. Control the rate of infection, ie "Flatten the Curve", to minimize the inevitable overload of our health systems with those 12%+ of us

^ 4/- who will need hospitilization including intensive care & ventilators. This will minimize the fatality rate as much as practicable.
2. Minimize economic damage from months of lost work from lockdowns, businesses going bankrupt, people going bankrupt, lost production, stock

5/- market crashes, lost tax revenue, dropbin consumption, people not being able to afford food, rent, medical care etc. Getting timing of total lockdowns right here is key to minimizing this. Econ damage WILL result in mortality rate too.
3. PR/ minimize hysteria: to minimize

6/- panic buying, bank runs, suicides, civilians killing each other, crime, exploitation, chances of mass civil unrest & revolution etc.
ie preserve & stabilize their society as much as possible during the crisis

7/- Is this cold & brutal considering the inevitable deaths? Maybe, but "inevitable" is the key word here. It is also realism & damage minimalisation. Societal triage. There isnt much else possible at this point, unfortunately. For most of us, all that is left is to roll the dice