Covid-19 and the madness of crowds

It;s very easy to dismiss that, but we shouldn't forget it's a hard choice to make for everyone in power. Not only is there big uncertainty among the experts as well, also it is true that everyone is paying a high price for the lockdown. And it's not just lives vs. economy. People kill themselves because they lose their jobs, mental illnesses go rampant, women are locked in their homes with their violent husbands, lack of exercise will cause health problems down the line for many. Some may even starve, in places that are not as economically secure as where most of us sit. What we are currently doing is at the same time something of a necessity and very well justified, and also scary and a thing to avoid at almost all cost. There's a guy, a philosopher I think, on Italian TV, who for weeks says that we as a country can't bear this anymore, and far more people will die as a consequence of this.

Now I'm not sure about this and for obvious reasons I support the lockdown, however we should pay some respect to the other side of things. Sweden has internationally reputed epidemiologists as well, and they advised the government against lockdown. That may change fairly soon, but there are in any case lots of uncertainties connected to whatever you do. In Sweden people generally seem to be keener to follow government recommentations than in Italy or the US, for example, so I can see why they hoped that people would do enough in their own responsibility. On the other hand, of course, it is wrong to say "no lockdown = economy will be fine" because of course it won't if at the same time the health system is overwhelmed and 70% stay at home anyway because they're scared. lazland has written some nonsense comparing Covid-19 to flu, this is not a credible way to justify to go on as before. However, a more realistic line of argument is that we're screwed either way, and if this is so, we could well choose to be screwed with open pubs and restaurants. (I hope not, but...)