During the "flatten the curve lockdown" we deemed, on average, 70% of the work force essential workers. Thus a very soft lockdown. What we need now is to follow New Zealand’s lead, and do a very hard lockdown. Lockdown 75% of all work. For 4 weeks, or until we're at less than 1 new case per 100,000, per 7 day period. That's how we get ahead. We need to financially support those workers.
Anything else. In the long run. Will cost more in lives, and money.
@corlin I think everyone knows what should be done, the issue is the people with the power to make that happen literally don’t give a shit. Be they in the government or at the businesses. Like at my previous job we could have gone completely pickup and reduced contact for everyone a whole lot, but we didn’t because then people couldn’t “shop”
So how do we pay for a 75% lockdown?
If you realize that from February to October the personal savings rate soared to over 25% from year to date. So with low interest rates, we could as a nation have borrowed enough money to pay every worker, and every small, and medium sized-business, to get through a 4 week hard lockdown.
There is enough money right now in savings accounts to do this.