The failure of the federal government to act swiftly, which includes but is not limited to preparing the healthcare system for surges by expanding capacity and personnel, ensuring the availability of PPE, and dispatching test kits to all settings, left the US with few choices. Early identification and contact tracing were not an option and preserving healthcare resources including PPE was critical to prevent the healthcare system from collapsing. Given the available data and projections, this costly intervention was one of the few choices left in March 2020. The cost estimates of the lockdown are widely variable and based on varying assumptions. The Heritage Foundation reported that an 8‐week shutdown could raise the unemployment rate to as much as 23 percent and decrease immediate economic output by as much as $2 trillion. https://www.heritage.org/economic‐and‐property‐rights/report/the‐cost‐coronavirus‐shutdown‐orders. A report by the Congressional Budget Office projects that the U.S. gross domestic product will lose nearly $16 trillion over the next decade because of the pandemic. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/06/01/coronavirus‐live‐updates‐us/. Terence Corcoran notes that the lockdown costs are certainly real at around $9 trillion. This includes the $2.5 trillion CARES Act passed by Congress and signed by President Donald J. Trump. https://business.financialpost.com/opinion/terence‐corcoran‐the‐price‐of‐life‐lockdown‐costs‐are‐real‐but‐are‐the‐benefits.