It's difficult to keep societal order if half the police and fire departments call in sick. Not to mention water and electrical service. There is a good chance we would have seen a complete societal collapse if we hadn't shut things down to slow the spread.
Agreed. And the Repubs in Michigan insisted it was to hurt businesses. I really can't imagine any politician or civic manager who would shut down businesses just because they wanted to hurt business; but that was the claim and it sure angered a lot of ignorant, gullible, scared voters.