Seeing as even locking everyone in their houses doesn't slow down the virus in the slightest (see Italy, where the exponential growth is still full steam ahead,

Seeing as even locking everyone in their houses doesn't slow down the virus in the slightest (see Italy, where the exponential growth is still full steam ahead, and will clearly only slow at this point once the virus runs out of new people to infect), honestly the UK's original plan is clearly the best one: just let everyone be exposed, it'll be over the fastest and there will be herd immunity to prevent new waves every few weeks for the rest of our lives. Even if the worst-case estimates were true (which they basically can't be at this point), you're looking at 0.25-0.5% of the population dying. Compare that with the effect that the permanent collapse of our free and prosperous societies, converting the world into Venezuela will have. If we don't change course, the living will envy the dead