A modest proposal. Covid-19 is only deadly to certain populations. Do we really need to shut down all of society over this?

Sounds like a very cruel and inhumane solution to this. Everyone deserves to live, even those people vulnerable.
First of all, let's consider the moral part of this solution. It's practically immoral to lock up people like that and leave them to die. Don't you think there would be at least some kind of opposition and subsequent rebellion to this solution?
Second of all, let's consider the medical part of this. We want to lock up all the people vulnerable to the virus. However, everyone is vulnerable to it, just that some people can contract it easier than others. Don't you think that the amount of people locked up will be a lot? What if it's a huge percentage of the population? Are you sure society can still function with all the people left?
Third of all, why would you think locking people up in a room will stop the spread of the virus? I'm pretty sure it'll still exist. And plus, we're already locking them up, in the form of quarantine, a way more humane and scientifically and medically proven method of containment.

To be clear: “Locking up” is just my flippant and sarcastic way of referring to the exact same quarantine procedures we’re implementing now with regards to everyone.

I just think a society-wide quarantine is too drastic a step to take when the vast majority of folks (97-99%) who catch this are going to survive.

The 1-3% who don’t survive this have consistently been in at-risk populations that can be isolated and more closely monitored.

Instead, by shutting down all of society we’re bringing a recession upon ourselves, have wiped out $10+ trillion off the stock market basically overnight and will cause the loss of a million jobs or more, and that’s just in the U.S.

Ahh, I see

True.

But isn't that what we are doing right now? We're telling the sick and at risk to self-quarantine themselves at their houses

We’re also cancelling sports seasons and virtually every planned event involving 10 people or more, shutting down restaurants, grounding flights, and sending tons of workers home and in some cases laying them off

Well some of those measures seem a bit too extreme. Though, I've heard that working from home only happened in Singapore when somebody became a suspect to the virus. But, shouldn't prevention be better than curing? Hm... maybe it would be better if we take down these measures a notch. We need to be alert, not paranoid.

I listened to the health experts. I really have. I understand that this virus is no joke.

What I’m saying is this: panic and a herd mentality have set in. In some states, governors have literally ordered all restaurants and bars to close (query: is this kind of an order even constitutional or enforceable?)

In other states, everyone’s afraid to stay open, because everyone else is closing and no one wants to be the last one standing. What do they think, by staying open they’ll be blamed for the entire pandemic? Though the health experts on high offer a veneer of rationality to it, this is the opposite of rational.

Someone needs to stand up and say enough is enough.

Mhm, it seems that some people have ignored the experts' reminder to stay alert, but not paranoid. It seems like the thing that has become an epidemic now isn't only the virus, but fear too...

Welp, whatever. I'm just gonna keep rolling with it. I don't wanna get blamed if I break the rules and get infected. I mean, if we rally a parade and end up getting a lot of people infected, what will be the use? Lol

https://nypost.com/2020/03/24/kentucky-coronavirus-party-attendee-tests-positive-for-covid-19/

Sounds cruel, but on the longer run this is the best solution, and most likely the only one that can be successful. There are however a few downsides... Not only old and frail people can get seriously ill. Sometimes strong healthy people can also end up on the intensive care, and not all countries have enough intensive care capacities to keep the worst case scenario in mind, and this is a bit what they fear now. But in the longer run, in the basic theory that is the only hopeful solution we got, and the ones who did contract corona will in the eventually get immunity and that can protect the old and frail.

But here's the rub. How long does the immunity against corona last? Nobody knows that yet, as there's only one way to find out. Deliberately make somebody ill, and as soon as they recover keep checking if antibodies are still present in the test subject's blood. Maybe you get where I'm going. If it takes 1 year before the antibodies are gone, that we won't know until next year. If we know it any time sooner, then we got bad news, as that means that antibodies do not last very long. This knowledge is also crucial when it comes to the question if developing a vaccine is useful or not... If the antibodies last only a few weeks, developing a vaccine will be pointless...

For the short time I've heard that the drugs used to fight malaria and AIDS may, according to studies be successful in curing those who have corona. Particularly the AIDS drug (odd as it may seem) a very good candidates due to it having very little to none side-effects. Since these drugs already exist, they don't need the normal testing procedure to see if they are safe, so they only have to test if they are actually effective. I've heard a microbiologist say she was very optimistic about this development, but she impressed that nothing is certain yet.

What does seem sure is that locking down the world is gonna do more harm than good....
In Dutch we may say "De genezing is erger dan de kwaal" (the cure is worse than the disease).

Sure, why not? And we might as well lock up all the darkies, queers, and Jews while we’re at it, just to be safe. Is that really what you want?

i’ll take it

Oop, that’s just linux doin’ it again.....but your Idea works.

Pretty much, yeah. But definitely also take medical measures for international measures, like medical examinations for people flying in -- TSA could do it since they feel you up already! Lol

Link to my other meme in the “politics” stream today about this: imgflip.com/i/3t4iti