All over the world you will find the same measures.
Social life has almost come to a standstill.

To compare the coronavirus with an otherwise normal flu is fatal,
because our health system is currently under threat.
The mortality rate of Covid19 is much higher.
So it makes no sense to wear masks.
Simple rules of hygiene should be followed by everyone
and everyone should be careful to help others when necessary.

Whether in Europe or in America, whichever country,
we can only survive all this together.
Help each other and support the weak.

I agree with you, Katja; I am glad to see that our country's leadership is taking this virus seriously. I am happy that regulations prohibiting large crowds is in place. Canada and the US have agreed to close the border, which should be helpful. People are being encouraged to stay home except in cases of necessity. For those of us who still have to work with the public like associates in large stores like Walmart and Target, we have greatly increased the frequency of cleaning and disinfecting high traffic areas. Depending on how this virus spreads, we may have to close the stores and direct customers to online shopping (something that I hope happens sooner than later). Already many customers are doing this. I sincerely hope that because of these measures taken, we will have many less people infected at the same time. Most encouraging is the news that a vaccine for this virus is already in the works and being tested.

My main problem with this whole situation is how some people panic to the point of irrational hoarding of every day supplies like toilet paper and hand sanitizer. The news media has also been guilty of spreading disinformation, which is even more dangerous. I also stand by my comment about how the common flu causes tens of thousands of deaths each year and nobody talks about this. Maybe if we instituted a few of the measures we take against the Corona virus, there would be a lot less deaths (such as limiting access to places where high risk people are located like nursing homes).

There is a problem with closing schools for just two weeks. When will they be able to open them again? This virus is going to be with us for a very long time, even after we reach a peak for the numbers of people infected.

We must all play a part to keep each other as safe as possible. As far as possible strict hygiene rules should be maintained. The threat is not going to go away anytime soon.

Yes I agree that there has been over reaction, but mostly by folks who have been very selfish, and raided stores and supermarkets, clearing them out of toilet rolls, hand sanitizers, some tinned goods, frozen dinners, flour etc. I sometimes despair of the human condition.

I also wonder about the length of time given keep schools closed. From what I understand, 2 weeks is the incubation period for this virus, that is why they chose it. My guess is that the schools will have to remain closed for longer once they figure out how many may be symptomatic after the 2 week period. I think we will continue to see changes in regulations as we see how this virus spreads.

I agree 100% that we must all do our part in keeping each other safe by self-quarantine and social distancing.

Warten wir erst einmal die 'sogenannten zwei Wochen' ab, wissen wir was dann werden wird? Es kann doch auch länger dauern, sodaß wir uns auch auch darauf einstellen müssen.
Große Vorsichtsmaßnahme sind notwendig !!!!
Wir sollten uns alle auf einen ängeren Zeitraum einstellen ... und diese Entschleunigung tut uns allen sehr gut !!!
Ein wenig zurückschrauben und nicht immer mehr und mehr !

I agree with you completely!!

The reason for all the closures (here at least until 19th April) is an attempt to keep our hospitals in some sort of working order.
What happens when they are totally overwhelmed can be seen in northern Italy- doctors have to take decisions they usually only have to take in war, sending infected over 80ies and people with multiple diseases back home to die to give younger and healthier ones a chance to survive. This is not a decision anyone should have to take!
So we all must do our best to help slow the spread of the disease by whatever it takes. And it will take a long time. In our town we had 80 official cases on Saturday, 150 on Sunday and God knows how many right now. So I'm self isolating and will only go to the neighbourhood shops when I really have to.

You bring up a great point, Gudrun! That is the goal here in the US; to hopefully slow the infection rate to keep hospitals and resources from being overtaxed. I hope that it works!

Oh well said, Val. That's how I feel. There are hundreds if not thousands of people who die every year through flu - yet they aren't ever mentioned. Now I have the problem of whether my helper can come to me, as her children are no longer at school (they've closed them down) - so things are rather dire. I already self isolate, I don't leave my home anyway - so I won't contaminate anyone. I just hope they will soon find a cure for this, so we can all start living again.

I am so sorry how this virus is impacting your life without even being infected! I do hope that with all the precautions taken throughout the world we will be able to get back to functioning again.

As I write this, our state governor has closed all shopping malls and enacted executive orders to prevent large gatherings of people, such as large parties and other similar social events. I am hoping that people will stay home and order online at the store I work. I am closely monitoring the situation, because if there is even one person that tests positive for the virus in my local area, I am taking a leave of absence. Thankfully, the company has given us the ability to take off without penalty if we fear catching the virus because of our work.

Unfortunately, many people hoard these things.
Toilet paper seems to be particularly popular. I cannot understand it either,
because there are much more important things to have at home in such times of crisis.
Most countries offer whole lists of things you should always have in your home,
because not only viruses can paralyze public life, but also natural disasters.

Of course you are right that we can contain a normal flu by restricting
or even banning access to precarious places.
But that would then have to be long-term and would mean that people
in old people's homes or in long-term hospital stays would
no longer receive visits or that the measures for this would be enormously high.
Nevertheless, this approach is not wrong, because anyone can make their
own decisions with a little common sense.

But so fundamentally this thought is missing now.
To think about others and to make decisions yourself.
Little by little, our society has been deprived of this possibility
to make decisions and replaced by the media.
These have taken over the thinking and the thoughts
and are guiding millions of people.

I would also like to mention again that one should not compare
the "normal" flu and Covid-19 and also not use the deaths as a comparison.
Although the symptoms are very similar, the course is quite different.
Decisive for this is, among other things,
that one can be vaccinated against a "normal" summer flu.
That there are drugs that help.
Neither of these is possible with Covid-19 as of today.
Also the time of incubation with Covid-19 is much longer... …
namely at two weeks.
A flu which is used here as a comparison is only two to three days.
In addition, it must be stressed that Covid-19 is much more aggressive
and an infection much more likely than with a flu.

"The news media has also been guilty of spreading disinformation, which is even more dangerous. I also stand by my comment about how the common flu causes tens of thousands of deaths each year and nobody talks about this."

To point out, you are also spreading disinformation as well, in a way. You talk about the regular 'flu killing "per year." And this corona virus hasn't been going on all that long. You can't really compare the two right now. To do so, at this time, could seem disengenuous. Just thought I'd mention that. With people repeatedly saying that particular thing, it could cause others to not be fully aware of just how serious the problem actually is and therefore not prepare themselves properly. Which is worse - dying from some virus or starving to death because you didn't have enough food when you needed it? Is there a high risk for either one? I'd say it's a slim possibility, but if the possibility exists, it's something to always be prepared for.

You also talk about "hoarding." I bought toilet paper a year ago and am still using that supply, because most of it is still left. Nobody accused me of "hoarding" back then. I wasn't hoarding it at all - I was merely stocking up on it. What's the difference between stocking up and "hoarding?" I feel it's all about "perspective." Some people have fears right now, (not me), of running out of what they might need because they're never prepared for an emergency. I live in "tornado alley," and have learned to be prepared for emergencies. Because I'm always prepared, I don't consider it "hoarding." But, I suppose the fearful people who aren't prepared have to come up with some kind of "detracting" sort of name to label others with because those people might have bought the last supply of an item, leaving no more on the shelves for anybody else. With some people calling other people hurtful names like "hoarders," I think this can also lead to problems; such as keeping people divided. We're all human and we live in this world together. We should think about what we say and do because we're all stuck on this planet and have to live together. Hopefully, in peace and harmony. So, when you see people using terms like "hoarders," think hard before you repeat it.

I think the world is going to be changed after this. For the better or for the worse - nobody really knows. But a good thing to do is live by the old adage, "hope for the best, prepare for the worst." I hope everybody comes through this all right. Already, lots of people haven't made it through, but we need to stay vigilant. In that way, nothing can bring our positive attitude down.

The governor of Illinois did the same thing for us here in this state on Sunday. That effectively put me out of work because I can't book any more gigs in bars - they're all closed, and can't shoot any weddings because large groups of people can't congregate. But, I'll be all right. I just worry about the people that can't withstand things like this. It's a bad deal, but I hope everybody pulls together (in spirit and not publicly! Ha ha.) and we come out on the other side safely.

"To point out, you are also spreading disinformation as well, in a way. You talk about the regular 'flu killing "per year." And this corona virus hasn't been going on all that long. You can't really compare the two right now. To do so, at this time, could seem disengenuous. Just thought I'd mention that."

I created this article over 5 days ago; a lot has changed in 5 days. I admit that I should have waited until the full extent of this virus was known. As of today, we know that it not only hits the old, but also the young, even if not as harshly impacted as with the old and infirm. I am glad that schools were the first things to be closed, because that is where a lot of transmission has occurred with common colds and flu in the past. I don't have an issue with the guidelines issued by the government to keep people from congregating in large groups, nor with mandates to keep all venues closed that harbor large groups of people in close quarters, like dine-in restaurants. It is very hard on those particular people (like you) who work in these environments and have been temporarily laid off their jobs as a result. This is why the federal government is intensively working on a bill to relieve people in this position. I hope that it helps.

Regarding your comment on hoarding, you think it a "hurtful" name and ask me what is the difference between "stocking up and hoarding". Well, I'll tell you. Stocking up is preparing for the future, and you are not depleting resources from the store faster than the store can replenish them. Hoarding is a panic response from so many people at once that the supplies cannot be replenished as fast as hoarded. This results in some people gaining an overabundance of supplies that many other people cannot access because supply is gone. This creates panic on the part of those people who did not have a chance to get enough supplies for themselves; so the cycle continues until you have a situation as idiotic as the artificial toilet paper shortage we have now. "Stocking up" is good, "hoarding" is bad. It stands to reason that if everyone "stocked up" in preparation for any potential disaster, we wouldn't see this sort of behavior (at least not in the volume that we see now). No, it is not divisive to call people hoarders who are doing it. It may just shame them into doing the right thing and be more thoughtful of others.

And yes, I agree with you, this shared experience is going to change our society, hopefully for the better. If we succeed in beating back Coronavirus enough to not overwhelm our hospitals like it did in Italy, we may just have a plan for future pandemics that can work.

The hospitals in Italy are still completely overloaded and even more so,
the staff is reaching its limits and going far beyond them.
But this is now not only the case in Italy, but also in many other countries.
In Alsace, a part of France that borders on Germany,
the situation is also so "devastating" that serious cases have been transferred
to neighbouring Germany.

Of course, this will only continue until these capacities are needed
for the own population. And that may well be soon ...
but it does not have to be.
As far as the so-called (that's what we call it) hoarding and collecting
of food is concerned, you have to find a framework that sets a limit.
Not all citizens can go to the shop at eight o'clock in the morning to meet their needs.
This is fundamental and should be clear to every citizen:
you should always have some supplies at home. This has nothing to do
with a virus or the fear that nothing is left in the supermarket.
There are other scenarios that "threaten" us.
What would happen in case of a heavy blizzard or in general,
a storm and a related power failure lasting several days?!
That would be a case that can hit some people faster than you think.
Everyone should be able to take care of themselves at home for at least a few days.
This includes flashlights, candles and also a radio with battery operation.
All these things are things that we don't pay attention to in our "good times"
and now something happens that restricts and even reprimands us
in our comfortable zone. This overtaxes some people and completely switches
off rational thinking here and there. Something like a panic develops.
But that's nothing compared to the situation when a supermarket would
no longer be open... a scenario you'd rather not think about.

One "plan" would be to help now those who can no longer help themselves.
Who are locked up at home because they are afraid to go outside the door
and even shy away from the supermarket. I know that people are dying at home.
Often alone and lonely.
Only if we pay more attention to our neighbours, especially in such times...
what they do, how they behave and what they need or can give.
Let's do it together.
It is the press that tells us about how people resist against these simple rules like
the ban on assembly.
The press shows us pictures of people fighting over toilet paper and it is escalating.
In my opinion, the press does not radiate the calm to the population that one
would wish for. This has always been so and always will be so...
but each individual should be clear about how he behaves and what he does.