Emergence of a Deadly Coronavirus

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Regarding bus companies going bust, I think that those of us who commute everyday tend to have monthly travel cards we pay via direct debit and will continue to pay it even though we're working from home. There's a penalty if I cancel within the year, so it's not worth stopping it for this month and then starting back up again when I finally go back to work.

WHO confirms that warm weather doesn't end it:

https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease ... th-busters

Worrying news:
https://www.livescience.com/coronavirus ... rosol.html


https://www.wired.com/story/they-say-co ... ne-by-air/

"Even the fattest droplets may not always fall right to the ground within a few feet. When you go to the ocean on a windy day and feel the sea spray on your face, you’ve just encountered droplets of a size that might be described as “not airborne” in a public-health briefing. Even breezes that are far more subtle than the ones coming off the ocean can lift and push a droplet. Oddly though, many traditional studies of droplet trajectories have made use of simplified models that don’t account for the gust of air released when a person coughs or sneezes, which gives those droplets an extra push. Bourouiba calls this a mistake. Her lab has found that coughs and sneezes, which they call “violent expiratory events,” force out a cloud of air that carries droplets of various sizes much further than they would go otherwise. Whereas previous modeling might have suggested that 5-micron droplets can travel only a meter or two—as we’ve heard about the new coronavirus—her work suggests these same droplets can travel up to 8 meters when taking into account the gaseous form of a cough."



WEAR A MASK!

Manila Enters Lockdown for Month; Duterte Mulls Curfew

The media had a story this morning about panic shopping in the U.S.

The fast-spreading coronavirus had panicked shoppers on Saturday braving long lines and crowded parking lots to stock up on groceries and other items but what they found was disappointment and empty shelves.

The rationale seemed to be better to stock up now before box stores and supermarkets experience future shortages or government health officials implement travel restrictions to contain the virus, limiting the ability to get around.

Fox News reporters were out Saturday visiting stores and groceries in New York, New Jersey, Chicago and Florida to see what was happening and snapped photos of what they found.



By morning at a grocery store in Wyckoff, N.J., shoppers had emptied shelves of cheeses, milk, yogurt, eggs and frozen vegetables.

There was also no chicken until a butcher came out with a cart and opened a box of chicken breasts.

That set off a frenzy of shoppers pushing each other and grabbing what they could.



Barren shelves were also the scene at a Mariano’s grocery store in Chicago.

At a Stop and Shop in Wayne, N.J., the shelves in one aisle were bare from end to end.

There were also lots of empty shelves in a Publix supermarket in Pembroke Pines, Fla.

Source: Shoppers stocking up for coronavirus find empty shelves across US
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So is panic shopping a bad thing? Not necessarily.
The government said people should be prepared. And they are following the request vigorously with great zeal.
In the Midwest I did not see this level of panic shopping observed in the article above. I saw empty shelves where toilet paper and hand sanitizers once occupied, but food was in abundance.
Some people were stocking up on bottled water. That didn't make much sense to me. One might think the threat was a hurricane. I wondered if the cities tap water was really that bad.

But I guess I am seeing individuals following the governments guidelines. I see a lot of social distancing. People seem to be separating themselves 6 feet apart except for immediate families that tend to clump together.
Not seeing much handshaking or hugging anymore. Not seeing people talking as much in public, they seemed a little more rushed and focused.
When I go to Sam's Club (big box store), the greeter is meticulously wiping the handles of the grocery card, like his life depended upon it, before he hands it off to the customer entering the store.
Almost all the churches (of various denominations) in town have suspended church service.
Almost all the sporting events at all levels (high school, college, professional) have been put on hold.
Most of the schools are closed for the next 3 weeks.
So the government's direction (federal, state, local) to restrict large gatherings is being implements
I went to a concert last night. Even though it would have been sold out, only about 20% of the seats were filled and people were spacing themselves out within the empty seats (social distancing).
So unless something is necessary, most people are essentially sheltering at home.
I don't see many people wearing face mask. But I think that is limited by social drivers. People do not want to stand out from the crowd.

I don’t really think warm weather will stop it.When the swine flu hit this area it was in August.It was really bad in Mexico and they are a warm climate.Both my kids caught it at the same time.One living here and one on the west coast.