...Sweden will likely avoid a "second wave", because the virus will simply spread continually. Everything I've read about the impact of a "second wave" here in the U.S. suggests that such a scenario could have even more devastating impacts on our economy.

This all boils down to the question, "What is the purpose of lockdowns?". We were initially told that the idea was to simply "flatten the curve" so the healthcare system did not collapse, which we have already debated ad nauseum here. And that goal has been accomplished. But I've asked since day one, "What's going to change that will suddenly make it safe to lift the lockdown orders?". And here we are: leaders are now terrified to lift lockdowns because "people are going to die."
Of course people are going to die! That's what viruses do - they spread and make people sick, some of whom die. It's a tragic and very crappy part of being a living being on this planet. The "flatten the curve" strategy was never intended to, nor is it capable of, affecting the total number of people who will eventually get infected with this virus. It simply prolongs the spread of the virus through the population in order to prevent a healthcare crisis. Intellectually, everyone knows this. But somewhere along the way, fear seems to have taken over and fooled people into thinking that simply hiding will make things better.

In the end, regardless of what we do, essentially the same number of people will get ill and essentially the same number of people will die. I'm not trying to be crass. Human life is precious and if I had a magic wand, I'd make the virus go away. But no one has that capability, and as far as I'm concerned, anyone who thinks that we can simply legislate away the impacts of a virus is giving far much credit to humankind and not nearly enough credit to mother nature. My gut tells me that by the time a viable vaccine is developed, the virus will have largely run its course (like many pandemics of the past).

So if the data out of Sweden is that they are marginally worse off health-wise and marginally better off economy wise, and they are farther along towards developing herd immunity among their population, why was their approach bad? Particularly if this means that their economy will begin to reopen in full much sooner than here in the U.S., since the virus will begin to fizzle out sooner there when herd immunity is approached. This is just my opinion, but I'm trying to base it on data and common sense and keep the emotions of sadness about death from affecting my conclusions. I've been stuck at home since this began and I see the suffering and death on TV and it breaks my heart. But I also see the suffering and desperation on the faces of people who have lost their jobs, their businesses, and their dreams. And then I look at my daughter and wonder what kind of world we are creating for her generation.

What we are doing just doesn't make sense to me, and it doesn't make sense to a lot of other people that are a lot smarter than I am. The link that ColoVT posted today quoting the statistician who disagrees with lockdowns is just one of many examples. This isn't political - it's about protecting freedom and life as we know it in this country. And I'm afraid that fear is blinding the judgment of many, many people right now. Life is scary, and it's dangerous. I am anything but a risk taker...but I also know we can't life live as caged rats.

So I continue to propose that we take an approach similar to Sweden. Let humans make decisions for themselves. Encourage mask usage. Allow businesses to require masks if they feel so inclined. I've worn a mask in public every day for the past 6 weeks, and I'll gladly continue to do so. And those that are vulnerable or are not comfortable venturing out yet should be given the freedom to continue to stay sheltered. But when I read Sweden's story, my takeaway is that its government decided to allow its citizens to think for themselves and make their own decisions about how to adjust their routines and behaviors, and from my perspective, that approach has been successful. All I'm proposing for the U.S. is that we allow people to continue to earn a paycheck and make decisions for themselves. Keep large gatherings and arenas shut down - I'm fine with that. Sports will have to wait - no problem. But small businesses, which are the backbone of our economy, are getting destroyed and we have got to turn that trend around if we're going to be able to recover from this.

Sorry. Rant over.