IF what we were talking about was Wuhan-style "NOBODY LEAVES THE BUILDING" then these might be valid concerns. But responses in the US are extremely unlikely to include such building-level constraints.

Far more likely we'd have interstate checkpoints at state borders with symptom checks, or even test kits like South Korea uses. Or we'd do school cancellations. Or the other stuff I suggested. That is, nothing that would make it hard to get food or medicine.

And again THE GOAL of these programs is TO PREVENT THE NEED FOR coercive quarantining and isolation. What we want to do is, through costly public signals, induce a significant level of voluntary self-quarantine.

Here in Hong Kong, we do not have mandatory quarantine. And yet our eating-out has shrunk in frequency by about 75%. Our trips downtown have virtually ceased. The number of times per week we're in crowds has fallen by more than 90%. With no coercion at all!

So, to be clear: Cancel school. Send home government workers. Give companies a hard shove towards better hygiene and engaging continuity-of-operations plans. Make costly public signals to induce better individual behavior.

None of this involves a draconian police state. None of it even requires legislation!!! We can do it all tomorrow for every county with any COVID patient and adjacent counties!

FInally, let me note that the folks critical of this plan are engaged in a "methinks she doth protest too much" situation. 12 states closed school due to influenza JUST THIS YEAR. inverse.com/article/52824-sc…

"It's fine for the flu, which is less lethal and for which vaccines exist, but not for COVID" is a super weird and dumb take. And if you weren't protesting it for the flu, I dunno, maybe you're just selectively outraged because you think it's fun to be mad.

FURTHERMORE, These procedures won't ONLY reduce COVID deaths. They'll reduce flu deaths. Pneumonia deaths. Bronchitis deaths. Heck they'll reduce transportation deaths and gun homicides too most likely.

And now a final twist-ending: The US has no school in summer because of agricultural history. But actually, we should cancel school during WINTER to reduce infectious disease, and keep kids in school during SUMMER, since summer has fewer holidays anyways!