UPDATE: Americans stopped the economy, not politicians. And we will restart it.
In the case of the lockdowns, it is important to realize that people were out in front of closing down the economy. The evidence is pretty clear that we began withdrawing well before governments at all levels turned practice into legal decrees. Schools, restaurants, gyms, and houses of worship began to close or move to virtual before they were mandated to do so. Cell phone data indicate that people began to practice social distancing and forms of quarantine before governments acted.
We stopped the economy, not the politicians. And we will restart it.
That restart will happen when people believe that engaging in various forms of economic activity is sufficiently safe. Those beliefs will be a combination of their assessment of the virus and their confidence in what firms are doing to make going to stores, restaurants, and the like hospitable and safe.
Looks like it’s happening.