The evidence is that the curve of new cases/hospitalizations comes down a few weeks after each lockdown is called. This seems to happen multiple times from the

The evidence is that the curve of new cases/hospitalizations comes down a few weeks after each lockdown is called. This seems to happen multiple times from the curves I've seen in various newspapers. In that sense, it "works". Whether it's worth the cost is another issue, but it does sound like certain hospitals were filling up rapidly.