> based on the reputation of the restaurant chain Waffle House for staying open during extreme weather

This is fundamentally different than a weather event. The lockdown is to slow down spread of a disease. We CAN control that... unlike a natural disaster.

But hey, sure, let's feed the downward spiral of mass neurosis, maybe that negativity will help the economy.

Goodhart's law is relevant https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodhart%27s_law

2016 discussion on this index, specific to hurricanes etc https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15105662

And the poor HN discourse, IMO, recently https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22681417