New York Gov. Cuomo Orders All Nonessential Workers in State to Stay Home

Comments moved to https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22638558, which was posted a bit later but which has a non-paywalled article and possibly a bit more info.

It would sure be nice if we remember that convenience store workers, bus drivers, and grocery store clerks are considered "essential". These jobs are commonly paid at or near the minimum wage, but they're out today exposing themselves to the public. Even if they're given hazard pay today (and many probably won't be), when all is said and done they'll be back out there during the next flu season.

At least in New York they'll be earning $15 an hour for it. That's $30,000 a year, if they can get the hours -- and many won't be given 40 hours per week in order to avoid having to give them health care insurance. How many of these people will end up becoming sick, and then have to pay for any care they get out of that $30k?

I'm skeptical that anybody will in fact remember this. People will go back to trying to push the stock market higher and fight minimum wage increases to ensure higher profits. But I hope somebody starts printing up "Essential" buttons to hand out to these workers -- and then wear them on the job for the future so that people remember.

Our national priority needs to be on testing for people who have developed an immunity:

https://twitter.com/NAChristakis/status/1240689935557865472

Who can then go on and socialise and operate the economy as usual.

We need to take advantage of the fact that this virus is so mild for the vast majority of the working-age population.

Combine that with isolation of the elderly, and we could reopen the schools, at least for the youngest children, so that more people can go to work.

Alternative (and yes this is a bit tongue-in-cheek) transfer the entire elderly population of the USA to Florida, and completely isolate the state. Flood it with ventilators and healthcare professionals. Let the rest of the country operate as usual and treat the unlucky few who need hospitalisation.

We need some big, bold, active national measures instead of just taking the easy road of printing money for banks and forcing all businesses into closure and all workers into home unemployment.