If they can test everyone with symptoms, and find out the results fast, they can track all their contacts and quarantine them and hopefully stop the spread.
For instance, if patient A tested positive they can come up with spouse, 8 golf buddies, and two neighbors he’s been in contact with in the last two weeks. Now test the spouse and 8 golf buddies and two neighbors. Spouse and one golf buddy tests positive. Quarantine them and start over on testing their contacts. Meanwhile the others who tested negative are free to continue on with their social distancing lives.
Let’s say we don’t test patient A. That means we don’t quarantine the golf buddy or wife who then spread it on.
Or we can only test patient A, then we should quarantine the spouse, 8 golf buddies, the two neighbors, and anyone they came in contact with.
Being able to test everyone means we can free up people that test negative from that case.
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