Imagine if the United States could gain control over COVID-19 and “rescue the economy” by July 4. Here is one plan to do it without a vaccine:

We could stop the pandemic by July 4 if the government took these steps

The plan relies on frequent testing followed by tracing the contacts of people who test positive (and their contacts) until no new positive cases are found. It also encourages voluntary isolation, at home or in hotel rooms, to prevent further disease spread. Isolated patients would receive a federal stipend, like jurors, to discourage them from returning to workplaces too soon.

The total cost would be $74 billion – a tiny cost to pay to re-open the economy.