Interesting, Cofty. Are you saying that such countries are merely postponing the inevitable? Any data on that? - FF
Countries that locked down very early and very hard such as Denmark are likely to have a relatively small population who have been exposed. When they open up - as they are about to do now - they might find they have no option but to go through the same pain that France, Italy Spain and to a lesser degree, the UK are in the midst of.
How, exactly, will testing be the answer? FUJ
Random antibody testing of the general population will show what percentage of the country has been through covid19 already and are unlikely - or less likely - to be reinfected. That allows decisions to be made about opening up again. Once 60% or so are immune the virus will spread much more slowly with an R0 well below 1. Combined with testing of people with new symptoms, and tracing of contacts, new flare-ups can be suppressed. Phone apps will probably be part of the equation.
This is how South Korea have dealt with the pandemic because they had the resources from day 1 having been hammered previously by MERS. No doubt every country will be doing similar preparation for future Chinese pandemics (it will happen again)
If Covid-19 is not a live virus, then how can you kill it? - FF
It is a parcel of RNA wrapped up in a lipid membrane. It is not technically alive as it can't reproduce outside of a host cell. Once the membrane breaks down the DNA is destroyed. Soap and water - or just time - destroys the membrane. It cannot pass through your skin but will pass easily through eyes, nose and mouth. So wash your hands, forget about gloves and wash your hands.
An alternative - favoured by SBF is to completely lock down until a vaccine or an effective treatment is available. A vaccine is 12-18 months away. A treatment may be a few months to a year away if an existing drug can be repurposed. So far potential candidates have failed.
No economy can afford more than a few months. Economic collapse costs many lives.