The really smart play for the economy would have been to be super aggressive early on.
This haphazard piecemeal approach is going drag it out and tank a lot of businesses.
Our country doesn't take well to jackboots welding people into their homes. Without deaths to point to, exactly how is shutting everything down before anyone is infected going to go over?
It may have been "better", if it had worked, but the laws in the country will only work with the consent of the people. If they don't think it's important, they will flout the laws. (See: Prohibition)