NSW ordered everybody to stay at home for 90 days except with a permit. Their lockdown is a lot more severe than ours, and they sealed their borders while we did not, and I don't credit being in the southern hemisphere as part of their policy, even though it has contributed a lot to their objective outcome.

Then learn from South Korea and Taiwan as well. Both northern hemisphere, both have better results than the US.

I don't think it's very useful to discuss the aggregate outcome in the USA. Fewer than 1% of US excess deaths have been in California, although 12% of Americans live here.

California has had worse outcomes than Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, and South Korea:

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/usa/california/

It's a big state. See how small the number is for Alameda County?

By the way, I'm definitely not arguing with your conclusion. What we have to learn from Taiwan and Korea is that with a robust test and trace, we can go back to work. We just don't have it yet.

> See how small the number is for Alameda County?

Alameda County is worse per capita than Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, and Taiwan. It's also worse in absolute numbers than New Zealand and Taiwan.