WIth perfect hindsight we would have issued every person on the globe their own personal isolation chamber with a 14 day supply of food. But we dont have perfect hindsight we are operating in real time.
If you look back at this thread (which has been way, way, way ahead of the curve in terms of raising the alarm) there was no discussion of canceling Mardi Gras in mid February. It was about China and Italy and some of the cruise ships. CDC was saying "keep an eye on it."
In retrospect I wish lots of things had been done differently but not canceling Mardi Gras was a perfectly reasonable decision at the time.