They don’t have capacity to test the volume of people already infected. And doing so would add little value anyway.
If you have a new prolonged cough and/or fever then assume it’s COVID.
I have a colleague currently infected. Her husband has been ill for 2-3 days, now she and the children all have it. Most of his work colleagues and their families have it.
It’s most likely been spreading for weeks. It’s still early days. Those with is now (who recover) will be immune. So they can function while we all gradually get it.
Aim is to spread out the duration so we have fewer people at a single moment in time who are at their most ill.
It’s likely most of the population will get it in the coming months. They are trying to avoid a vast number having it at once. Estimates are about 10,000 probably are already unwell. That is a drop in the ocean. Several tens of millions will eventually become unwell. Most won’t have severe symptoms that require admission to an intensive care unit. But at any moment in time a small % of whoever is ill at the time will. So they are just trying to slow down the number in crisis at once.
No chance they can stop us getting it. If we did a Wuhan and stopped the spread now, it won’t go away - it’ll just take off again later in the year with a worse impact because the old will already be getting ill with flu and any of the mild cases with it will be snotting and sneezing everywhere because it’s winter. The virus will spread slower in summer. We need the majority to have been infected and recover before next winter.
Seems a well thought through rationale in the absence of a cure.