Fine, shut down the whole f***king world for two weeks. But at some point, you have to let people get on with their lives. Car crashes kill 37,000 each year in the US. Sure, you could prevent those by telling everyone to stop driving. Is that where we are?

The car crashes will continue to kill about the same number every year. The virus has a greater potential. Something I've read recently :

Let's say it's 1-10x as deadly as the seasonal flu. Then what? Quarantine the world for 18 months until a vaccine? How many extra deaths will be caused by a global economic collapse?  Even if zero, it's starting to feel like a totalitarian response to me. At some point -- please -- stop saving me!

Here is a recent paper on the NCBI website:

Features, Evaluation and Treatment Coronavirus (COVID-19) Marco Cascella et al. - update March 8 2020

Current view (at least here) is that R₀ is 2.2 - which is in the range cited elsewhere over the past few weeks - 2.0 - 2.5 from what I have seen.

"Based on data from the first cases in Wuhan and investigations conducted by the China CDC and local CDCs, the incubation time could be generally within 3 to 7 days and up to 2 weeks as the longest time from infection to symptoms was 12.5 days (95% CI, 9.2 to 18).[5] This data also showed that this novel epidemic doubled about every seven days, whereas the basic reproduction number (R0 - R naught) is 2.2. In other words, on average, each patient transmits the infection to an additional 2.2 individuals. Of note, estimations of the R0 of the SARS-CoV epidemic in 2002-2003 were approximately 3.[6] "

I have also read papers that stated it could continue to be contagious even after the person has "recovered" - still showing some positives about two weeks later. Clearly a problem if so, with the recovered folks getting back to their normal lives. What did Yogi Berra say? - "It isn't over 'til it's over?"

Even so, these self quarantines and shut downs should help if they can last 2 weeks or "ideally" a month, perhaps.

Shops opening in the morning for the elderly only. Think it should be that teenagers can only shop early. Good opportunity for training them for (what’s left of) the real world.

Who do you want to be at your side in a crisis? Readers of the Guardian or of the Sun?

Shops opening in the morning for the elderly only. Think it should be that teenagers can only shop early.  Good opportunity for training them for (what’s left of) the real world.

I am considering getting in touch with my town's Council on Aging, which provides services to the elderly.  If they are setting up shopping and medicine delivery services, I might help out.

It will put me back into circulation when I was actually taking myself out of it, but I'd be willing to get tested and if I'm still negative now, why not help some people who really need to stay negative and are happy to stay tucked away in their homes.

Who do you want to be at your side in a crisis? Readers of the Guardian or of the Sun?

The editors, journalists, and readers of the Financial Times!

You have a death wish!

Even so, these self quarantines and shut downs should help if they can last 2 weeks or "ideally" a month, perhaps.

Fine, but on April 15 it's

You have a death wish!

LOL. "Live fast, die young, stay pretty."

Do you remember the Circle Jerks? They will remind you of a truly great UK band circa 1975.

Live Fast, Die Young - Circle Jerks

Alan - haha! more power to you! : )

Goodnight forum!

Fine, shut down the whole f***king world for two weeks. But at some point, you have to let people get on with their lives. Car crashes kill 37,000 each year in the US. Sure, you could prevent those by telling everyone to stop driving. Is that where we are?

The car crashes will continue to kill about the same number every year. The virus has a greater potential. Something I've read recently :

Let's say it's 1-10x as deadly as the seasonal flu. Then what? Quarantine the world for 18 months until a vaccine? How many extra deaths will be caused by a global economic collapse?  Even if zero, it's starting to feel like a totalitarian response to me. At some point -- please -- stop saving me!

24/7 with our loved ones! The stress will kill millions.

So, Collector is scared of bats?

just the big one that was flying around in my leaving room, likely the Queen Bat.  I opened a window and in the morning it was gone.

To prepare for Corona panic it seems like one need lots of phone operators. Story in main paper here now from one that likely have corona and pain in lungs etc. He writes he has been hours on the phone calling the hospital emergency line, calling the corona phone line etc. and not even can get through. Likely many with no sign of corona calls, and then the people that need to get through are not able to do so.

Today I'm going to focus on work outdoors - raking, brush clearing, and planning vegetable garden plots.

This will be the second day of full isolation on my own property, but for a few weeks now I've only been to grocery stores and the gas station.

So, we'll see what's next.  

some of my university working friends that was put in home office no longer have home office, they have been draftet by the army and already out to secure the boarders (against?), and they have in addition got police authority supposedly. Airport control and such.

All this self isolation is going to have a big mental-health toll on some people.