> Then people won't take the rules seriously.

What should the government do to these people? Arrest them?

Already there are news headlines saying "US jails begin releasing prisoners to stem Covid-19 infections"[1][2]

and from that article, specifically relating to New York:

"New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Wednesday that city officials will this week identify individuals for release, including people who were arrested for minor crimes and those most vulnerable to infection due to underlying health problems.

"His announcement came hours after a guard and a prisoner tested positive for coronavirus at Rikers Island prison..

"Other New York prisons, such as Sing Sing, have had inmates test positive for coronavirus and one employee for the state's corrections department has died from it."

These prisons are breeding grounds for disease: "sinks often lack soap and hand sanitiser is considered contraband due to its alcohol content", and medical care in US prisons is often atrocious.

So by imprisoning people in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions you might effectively be giving them a death sentence and possibly putting the other inmates at risk from the people that came in from the outside world.

Another good article on the serious vulnerability of prisons during this outbreak: [3]

[1] - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-51947802

[2] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22632901

[3] - https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/3/17/21181515/c...