[oregontim]

There are nations where it has not failed, but 1) It may yet fail, and 2) most of these nations have unique characteristics that greatly aid the use of tracking and tracing. However, given the current situation in the US and the EU, I think it is clear that we really need a "plan C". Plan A was shutdown, get cases under control, track and trace. It didn't work for the USA, and now it isn't working for the EU. Plan B is ride it out, take some lumps, and wait for a vaccine to save us. Problem is, those lumps (deaths and economics both) are going to be bad no matter how we balance the competing factors. It is going to possibly be a long time before even a "good" vaccine will save us, and it postulates that COVID-19 immunity is "fairly robust". We think it is, but we don't actually know. Thus, for these reasons, we really need a "plan C". Suggestions welcome.

Plan C suggestion:

1. Unified national leadership, united messaging, calling us all to crisis mode, banging us over our collective heads with "now is the time for all of us to come together to fight this threat every way possible." Unified messaging. Lots of available information like what we saw today in the "visualization of indoor spread" thread. 
   
2. Multi-faceted everything possible program to make PPE available, testing available, tracing, distancing, careful management of what businesses open and underh what conditions. National recommendations with clear messaging, political pressure on states to conform with higher likelihood of success after the politics fade.
   

I have to add, sadly, that I realize that the key assumption – unity in a time of crisis, an end to the absurd anti-crisis politics – is wildly optimistic. Hope springs eternal.

[oregontim]

There are nations where it has not failed, but 1) It may yet fail, and 2) most of these nations have unique characteristics that greatly aid the use of tracking and tracing. However, given the current situation in the US and the EU, I think it is clear that we really need a "plan C". Plan A was shutdown, get cases under control, track and trace. It didn't work for the USA, and now it isn't working for the EU. Plan B is ride it out, take some lumps, and wait for a vaccine to save us. Problem is, those lumps (deaths and economics both) are going to be bad no matter how we balance the competing factors. It is going to possibly be a long time before even a "good" vaccine will save us, and it postulates that COVID-19 immunity is "fairly robust". We think it is, but we don't actually know. Thus, for these reasons, we really need a "plan C". Suggestions welcome.

Plan C suggestion:

1. Unified national leadership, united messaging, calling us all to crisis mode, banging us over our collective heads with "now is the time for all of us to come together to fight this threat every way possible." Unified messaging. Lots of available information like what we saw today in the "visualization of indoor spread" thread. 
   
2. Multi-faceted everything possible program to make PPE available, testing available, tracing, distancing, careful management of what businesses open and underh what conditions. National recommendations with clear messaging, political pressure on states to conform with higher likelihood of success after the politics fade.
   

I have to add, sadly, that I realize that the key assumption – unity in a time of crisis, an end to the absurd anti-crisis politics – is wildly optimistic. Hope springs eternal.