Why has it taken so long for the U.S. to realize that a national Lockdown is necessary to prevent the spread of Covid-19?

If Masks help stop the spread of this virus and let's just get out of the house faster I agree that we should all wear masks and it should be mandatory until this crisis is over. I'm 70 with type 2 diabetes and a heart condition been in the house since the start of this only going out where there's no people this was done months ago with everybody wearing a mask it would probably be over by now

A lesson learned young in most Soldiers' lives is don't give an order you can't enforce. Yes, there are different systems of governance, but that's not the point. What makes sense to an Eastern seaboard metropolis, is simply ridiculous in rural Idaho. Yes, there are hotspots around the Nation, and travelers to and from should take precautions for the good of themselves and the larger community. But, to say I'm in violation of a federal statute when I walk outside my back door and look around the horizon without another human being in sight is ridiculous overreach. I did grow up thinking '1984' was a work of science fiction. Not anymore.

Is it South Dakota is doing fine and that state never had a lock Down. What works in one State is over kill in another state. The Local authorities should make the decide what to do as our Constitution says. CPT Gurinder Rana Sir I remind you that the Tenth amendment says "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." To enforce a National Plane would be involution of the 10th amendment Sir. That Sir is why we can't have a National Plan.

OK.... Here is where I show my hard heart. With most decisions involving public health, there is some sort of cost benefit analysis.
In the United States:
_Heart Disease claims over 600K lives per year.
_Cancer claims over 170K lives per years.
_Cerebro-vascular disease (Strokes) claim about 140K deaths per year.
_Chronic Respiratory Disease claim about over 145K deaths per year.
_Diabetes claims over 40K deaths per year.

For each of the aforementioned causes of death, lifestyle choices are the primary factor. 80% or more would be completely prevented if people just ate right, got enough exercise, and got enough sleep. Why hasn't the US learned that it can save about a MILLION lives every year. Just put the entire nation on mandatory dietary programs, fitness programs, and sleep regimens.

I know I'm being a smart-ass and I sort of apologize. But Public health decisions cannot be made in a vacuum. How many deaths justify the government reducing our freedoms?

_If you want to save 35K lives and prevent 600K life altering injuries, make the national speed limit 5mph. Better yet, ban the use of motor vehicles completely.
_If you want to save 800 children under the age of 14 every year, fill every swimming pool with cement.

No one can make the world safe. Risks can be mitigated. Government has a role in that mitigation, but it cannot be a decision where everything but medical considerations are ignored.

It is still my understanding that COVID-19 has a fairly tight demographic where it results in death. For the rest, it is probably less discomforting than the flu. Government needs to identify the factors that make a COVID infection for someone "High Risk." I'm pretty sure I fall into that high risk demographic. By all means protect high risk people with focused counter-measures. Let the rest of Americans get on with their lives.