I wasn't implying that nations should choose this course. But say a year from now when most of their population is immune and the disease is no longer worrisom

I wasn't implying that nations should choose this course. But say a year from now when most of their population is immune and the disease is no longer worrisome within that nation (relative to the zillion other things you can die from), then from that point they my ironically be better off. Of course this assumes 1. some kind of immunity (which I'd think indications are pointing toward, or I'd expect to have seen more repeat contractions by now) 2. the response was dorked up down to the individual level (which is most decidedly not the case -- plenty of individuals (especially among highish-income) are choosing to self isolate and take precautions, and thus will not contract the virus for quite some time no matter how bad the government response was, so immunity within these groups will never form, so the government will not be able to reopen anyway) So even in the absence of other considerations, the 2nd point above pretty much cancels out my original post.