If you delay, the only thing that happens is you need to resort to drastic measures for longer, more people die, and more economic damage happens. The trick is

If you delay, the only thing that happens is you need to resort to drastic measures for longer, more people die, and more economic damage happens. The trick is to manage the economic implications. The government can hire those people, pay people to stay home, or whatever else. It will lead to inflation, but that's better than a million deaths.