The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) says the coronavirus is bound to come to the US. and we need to be prepared. That means not panicking but understand some measures may need to be taken to prevent overloading our health system.
It could mean “disruptions to their daily lives, including school closings, working from home and delayed elective medical procedures, as efforts to contain and control the possible spread in the U.S. may accelerate in the coming weeks.”
This means that business leaders, for example, should start considering who can work from home. Perhaps the time will come, experts said, to observe religious practices and ceremony at home, rather than larger community gatherings at places of worship. And families should start asking themselves how they would handle a week or two at home, without traveling for food, medicine or entertainment.
So, don’t panic but maybe stock up on food just in case and be flexible and resilient.
In the meantime, Worried about getting sick? Here’s the easiest way to prevent it. The advice, wash our hands!
Until I hear differently, I will continue to go to the Y every other day, because we octogenarians need to keep as healthy as possible. And I will wash my hands more, just in case.
Update: I forgot to mention especially try not to touch your eyes, nose, or mouth without washing your hands, and, of course, avoid sick people if you can.
February 25, 2020
I don’t think I could possibly wash my hands much more than I do…I am continually washing them. So I should be in good shape.
I don’t wash mine as often as you do yours, but I’m starting to, I have to put something on them afterwards to keep them from cracking. I’m trying coconut oil, and it seems to help.
All we can do is wash those hands and avoid big crowds. We can worry but it won’t stop the virus from spreading. We just have to do our best to do what is best for our health.
Yes, I think avoiding big crowds is a good idea. At the Y they have wipes for cleaning the equipment when people finish with it. Being conscientious about that is also a good idea now.
I go out to brunch with a woman twice a month who is going on a cruise next week and will be in the area where tourists are being held up in a hotel because of this flu. When she gets back, I’m not sure I want to see her right away. It’s scary that a person can spread this flu before they know they are sick.
I always have my ‘flu kit’ in the house this time of the year and I already wash my hands a ton of times a day, so I won’t be doing anything different at this point in time.
I think it would be prudent to stay away from her for the 14 days, just in case. I’m surprised people aren’t staying away from cruises for a while.
I keep wet-wipes in my “outing bag” as it is…I wash hands at public restrooms and if there is not soap, hope for hot water and the hot air driers that are common here in NZ. With a spare tissue if my hands aren’t quite dry…
but I believe more people die of the common flu’ that is spread in basically the same way…and as someone in NZ pointed out more ordinary people/pedestrians die from being hit by a car. I know that last way…isn’t what the virus thing is about; but it’s sometimes good to get a idea about normal everyday life…in such situations.
I was at a meeting today, and the range of reasons of the origin; what to do; safety and all that was enormous – I’m sure a lot of it is pure fiction on the part of the news scaremongers…
I think the CDC is being sensible. Apparently once it starts spreading it’s hard to test for it right away, so having people keep their social distance might be warranted. They’re still learning about it.
There will never be an opportunity for me to work from home and working around food I frequently have to wash my hands.
You should be safe. In an emergency you would just have to stay home and work or play on your own things.
There’s not much point in worrying about the coronavirus right now as where it pops up seems to be very unpredictable. But obviously if there was suddenly a cluster of cases in Belfast I would be careful to avoid the areas concerned. We’ve booked a holiday in Vienna in a few months, so hopefully Austria won’t be rife with the coronavirus by then!
Fingers crossed. Things could have died down by then.
I don’t like crowds for other reasons. so am used to avoiding them.
my friend Debora went to Hong Kong early this month to see her mother.
I was concerned for her about the protests going on there but then the virus hit. she’s been in quarantine for the last three weeks here. (right after she returned.) which she totally understood. she said they’re in panic mode over there and her mom urged her to cut her visit short in case she should be trapped there. very sad.
We avoid crowds too, and I can’t imagine going on one of those huge cruise ships even without the threat of sickness. I’m sorry about your friend. 🙁
we wash a lot, always have and try to keep hands away from face. we also have stopped going out to eat for the past 3 weeks, not the coronoviurs but the flu is killing more people than the new virus. we saw it on CNN news. this is what they said..
So far, 16,000 people have died and 280,000 people have been hospitalized during the 2019-2020 flu season, according to preliminary estimates from the CDC. this is USA only
I know the flu is bad, even though a lot of people get the shot. Hopefully the new virus won’t be as bad. I’ve read it will be over a year before they can develop a vaccine for it.
Good advice, Jean. I think one of the most important bits of advice is “don’t panic.”
Yes, I think that’s why the CDC is warning people now. If it looks as if the virus is spreading rapidly, they want to slow the rate of transmission for a while with “social distance.”