Now, if I'm mistaken and we think we can just kill the virus and not deal with it by locking everyone down, then I have the wrong idea.
There really are only two options.
1) let it run. This is the spanish flu result. High mortality, but eventually it burns out because enough people get immunity, or die. Comes with the risk of the utter collapse of our hospitals and health care. Italy has suffered a high rate of health care workers getting very sick, with high mortality. Almost like constant exposure to it makes it worse somehow.
I keep hearing the "but it only kills the old and really sick", which is a lie. It kills healthy people, too. It does, however, attack people with underlying conditions at an alarming rate. For Americans, the top underlying conditions are in our population in very, very high numbers. Obesity. Hypertension. Heart disease.
2) social isolation. This shuts the spread down so that hospitals can keep up. Immunity spreads but much slower. Risk of a second wave after ending isolation. Severe economic consequences.
Gunnison, CO is the shining example from the Spanish Flu on this.
The problem with #2 is if you wait too long, or drag into it with half assed measures, you end up with it not being as effective.
One of the biggest issues with COVID is it's long incubation period. To be able to test positive for up to 2 weeks without showing real symptoms is insane.
Is closing all businesses across an entire state the answer? Not likely. Poor planning and over-centralized state government gets us there.