The problem is, economics is human life. If we suffer complete economic collapse, more people will die of starvation than of the virus. Moreover, children instead of mostly the elderly.
Food structures are not shut down, at least yet. Shutting everything down is impossible for the reason you state. BUT, this is going to take a heavy, heavy economic toll.
As
the first behemoths are starting to fall already. The real losers here though, are you and me: Retirement funds will be "quaint" by the time this is all over.
BUT, I do expect that this is going to create HUGE latent economic demand. People are going to be sitting home creating lists of stuff they need to buy day 0 when the shops open again (at least, those who are still getting paid). It could go two ways, only time will tell:
(a) People all rush the stores on the 21st (22nd? I don't even know) to stock up on stuff they haven't been able to get the last 3 weeks.
(b) The virus runs rampant and people voluntarily shut in because of fear past the 21st.
The main thing is, you can't do without general goods for a hell of a long time before you're going to HAVE TO head to a shop.
I EXPECT this is going to be a huge boon for the online shopping places. I already got mails from TakeALot saying they want to appeal to gov to keep shipping stuff as that helps enhance social isolation instead of deteriorating it. I do think they have a point. They super promised to wipe everything down... that may be harder to sell.... But they may have a good point. Stuff breaks, people do really need certain "non medical, non food" items. What if you break a window at your house? Your oven breaks. Geyser explodes, electrical system fails.... etc... Life is not that simple.
Anyway, the lockdown is what it is, and there is perhaps little point to debating it, because it's going to happen now, whether right or wrong. I fervently hope I am completely, utterly
wrong in every single thing I suspect about what is going to transpire here. I fervently hope that six months from now, I'm going to look like a total idiot for my pessimism.
Maybe not six months from now. But I mean this has happened before. On the long-term everything will be fine. The question is mostly about how-long-a-term. We're lucky. Extremely lucky. This is the kind of death rate they would've coveted during the black plague et al... I think though Brian, this is not a case of humanity being in control and we're really forced to "play the ball where it lies": Nobody expects any outcome here to be favorable.
"Monkey killing monkey killing monkey over pieces of the ground, Silly monkeys, give them thumbs, they make a club and beat their brother down. How they survive, so misguided, is a mystery. Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here" - Tool