individuals paid here and there is great, we don't see a real rebound until individuals (and especially businesses) are ready to get back to it. That requires confidence. Clearly the impact varies significantly by type of business, location, etc. Sure, pack a few bars here and there and the staff can earn a living. Systemwide, the hospitality industry is a shadow of its former self if businesses aren't putting people in hotels and people aren't eating on expense accounts.

I worried last spring that what we're seeing today would happen. We never really committed to flattening the curve (and giving people and businesses the confidence they need), but we never saw the return of demand in critical parts of the economy. We've just been bouncing along, and we will probably have a vaccine at this point before we can get our shit together. I also think we have no appreciation yet for the damage all of this is going to do to parts of our economy.

And by the way, we were also hoping to manage demand on our healthcare system. Let's not forget about that.

So all that said, seems like we take common-sense steps to limit widespread transmission in the near term (and those with means continue to support local businesses - I haven't quit my gym though I haven't been... I spend more carrying out now than I did eating out then...). And we find a way to protect paychecks.

And anyone that says we had a "lockdown" or "quarantine" in VA has no idea what the fuck they're talking about - many sectors of the economy pressed on (I've never seen so much work being done on houses), while others suffered and continued to suffer. It seems that any business could get an 'essential' label. I absolutely feel for people that have been affected by this, hopefully we remember this and overhaul our safety net accordingly. I also admire the people that have been able to pivot their business models in this environment - we've seen some real creativity.