No, you haven't got it right.
The idea is that if we know which people are most vulnerable then we can work to protect them without creating a whole world of stupid for everyone else. We keep ending up in these situations because one of the core tenets of progressivism is that the people, on the whole, are dumb as stumps and need goverrnment to protect them from themselves.
The problem is it is very easy to SAY, "protect those most vulnerable" but when that's maybe 20% or more of the population kind of difficult to do in practice. All that's missing is the action plan to protect that 20% of the population in a way that doesn't impact the economy. Why hasn't Trump or anyone else come up with this action plan, since it's apparently a VERY simple thing to do without infringing on anyone's rights? What's your suggestion?
All you guys love pointing to Sweden as the example. Well, if you know anything about Sweden you know they failed to protect the old and vulnerable, and that is not a surprise. When the virus is widespread in the not-vulnerable population, the points of contact between them and the vulnerable are MANY, and it's inevitable the virus will cross over into that population. For example, the not-vulnerable work in nursing homes, delivery, doctors offices, etc. If the HS or college kids get it, they spread it to the parents, some of whom are obese with high blood pressure and are at high risk, and others who aren't then show up to take care of grandma at the assisted living center. How do you let the virus run wild with HS or college kids and then prevent the crossover to their parents, millions of them in daily contact with the old? You can't. If you show me a region that got hit hard in the general population, I'll show you a region that saw a lot of deaths of worthless old people that we shouldn't care if they die, apparently.
Colleges are a pretty good example. No, college kids aren't at a high risk of death or serious illness from COVID. But guess who works at colleges? Not-students! So if COVID is widespread in the student population, how do you propose to protect the staff that reflects the general population, including those older and with pre-existing conditions? Where's the magic force field that keeps COVID isolated to the students?
And, no, people on the whole aren't "dumb as stumps" but they frequently act irrationally. If your argument is we ought to do away with speed limits, drunk driving laws, drug laws, prohibitions against selling unsafe food and supplements, and all the rest, that's fine -
caveat emptor!
Opinion
