This is the way to do it.
As the thread points out, you could just do one test per household, on the assumption that if one is infected, all are or will be. Hope the CDC/White House are aware of this thinking, because it makes a hell of a lot of sense to accelerate our knowledge of the scope.
[Early-afternoon update]
Turns out there’s a rapid-test device already available in hospitals.
Flattening the curve implies extending the curve. I suspect a person’s risk of getting this disease is going to be the same in either scenario. If we can prove that this works, the economy should be restarted in areas where the risk of disease treatment is low enough not to overwhelm the health care system. That would be rural America and cities where the infection has largely already burned through. Face it, if it takes 18 mos. to develop a vaccine you are going to be exposed to this disease. Good luck everybody. Let’s hope if you get really sick from it there will be palliative treatments (such as drugs like hydroxycholorquine etc. and antibody blood plasma) available in a non-overwhelmed healthcare system.
Rand, this is like seeing the theme of your book playing out in real time. Everyone wants guaranteed safety. This concept doesn’t just wreck space programs.