"And the rights way is dragging this on?"The right way is to drag it on long enough, until you get the following in place:
- Masks for everyone. At least in communities where it's known to be circulating.
- Sufficient testing to test any and everyone who has reason to think they have been exposed.
- Resources in place to do contact tracing and testing for every new case.
- Medicines in supply to treat known cases.
- And a sufficient drop in new cases sufficient to allow that contact tracing to take place.
- And probably some geographic travel limitations. Not unlike what Texas did with Louisiana, or New Hampshire did with New York. Limitations around hot spots. Compartmentalize regions to keep new cases out.
Can that happen by May 1? I doubt the whole nation will be there, but maybe regions will make it.
If you do that, then the economy opens up in those regions with confidence. And you'll have a more successful opening.
If you open when there are still a large number of new cases every day, and there is no means of protection, then customers are going to stay away. And businesses will have employment expenses but no customers. Then they close. Meanwhile the cases spike and we contemplate going back on lock down.