Assuming all it takes is a strict 3 week shutdown, why can’t we have that? Or is the assumption wrong? Why weren’t we able to produce enough stock for 3 weeks of total halt?
The average Grocery will run out of stock in 2-4 days (most being closer to 2 days)
The supply chain network is not setup for allow for a 3 week shutdown, nor can it be easily adapted to allow for it.
Most people, espically in urban centers, would not have enough supplies to last more than a couple of days as well.
Given that most people also can not budget for a $100 emergency they would be hard pressed to walk into a store and buy 3 weeks of food even if we could stock the stores to supply it (which we can not)
That is with out getting into the needs of Power, Water, Gas, Sewer, Public Safety, etc etc etc
you can not shut down a nation for 3 weeks, it is simply not possible
Somehow it's easier to do in a police state like China. Or maybe a country where there's still a high degree of solidarity (don't quote me, I'm not an expert on exactly why) like New Zealand.
A full shutdown of the entire economy (i.e. you can't get food or water if you need them) would only be warranted in the case of an existential threat.