Brace yourselves for one of the toughest weeks in recent American history.

Why it matters: This is all the tougher because the hardships are intentional results of attempting to prevent a much greater calamity.

Service workers across the country are out of work after restaurants and bars closed up over the last few days.

after restaurants and bars closed up over the last few days. 45% of all hotel jobs have been or will be eliminated in the next few weeks, according to the American Hotel and Lodging Association.

in the next few weeks, according to the American Hotel and Lodging Association. "Much worse" than 9/11 for the travel industry: United Airlines says that this crisis is a greater threat to its existence than the aftermath of Sept. 11.

United Airlines says that this crisis is a greater threat to its existence than the aftermath of Sept. 11. The shelter-in-place orders are coming to the East Coast. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio told residents to get ready to experience what's already happening on the West Coast.

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio told residents to get ready to experience what's already happening on the West Coast. Add to that the chance of tens of thousands of oil industry job losses, with the Saudis and Russians escalating their price war.

The big picture: It's going to keep getting worse for a while, even if the government and private citizens do everything right.

When we get testing up to speed, America's case count will soar.

America's case count will soar. As we get social distancing to work properly, big chunks of America's economy will shut down.

big chunks of America's economy will shut down. If/when we flatten the curve, getting things back to normal will be a start-stop process, denying people the stability that's so important to everyday life.

The bottom line: This will hit harder with local operations than big national firms.