The primary plan was to keep the load on the health care system within capacity. Preventing loss of life due to insufficient availability of health care. Which according to the models looked like the major contributing factor that could be controlled.
The primary plan was to do the absolute only thing available against the virus: social distance. We have no other way to fight it than to starve it out with 14 day quarantines and other social distancing tactics. No other motive is needed when you’ve only got “one bullet in the chamber” that’s the bullet you’re going to fire.
There's another method: masks. Making them mandatory seems likely to have real, significant effects. It seems almost impossible to make them mandatory in western countries without absolutely massive cause, though.
