outbreak! (ebola, sars, coronavirus, etc)

hopefully this will be the end of handshakes as a form of greeting in the western world

I like handshakes

how long before right-wing conspiracy theorists/Trumpists claim coronavirus fatalities are being faked/esaggerated/"all those corpses are crisis actors" etc.

Sorry I mangled my paraphrasing. His point appeared to be in effect, “there is little point attempting to suppress the spread entirely because it’s here — instead we need to work to even out the rate of spread so the NHS can cope”.

So they’d take similar actions as others to prevent the spread, but with the knowledge that this isn’t intended to somehow stop CV in its tracks, merely to manage it.

His other point was “there is no point moving to lockdown now because when we start we can’t stop again for a long time and we don’t want you idiots going “see? Big nothing” after two weeks and wandering about again.”

He pressed home the point that timing of the lockdown start matters, even if it feels intuitively wrong.

Australian seems to be somewhat blasé about this. The Grand Prix* is still going ahead this weekend as is the footy next week. Maybe this is some cunning plan to get Victoria sick before winter hits.

NB I would like the Grand Prix cancelled at the best of times.

And then there's cheek kissing.

xps

Could do a study on comparative infection rates between regions doing one, two or three kisses.

i am thrilled we can get rid of the kiss and the kiss kiss and the kiss kiss kiss.

xpost ha

xxxpost which cheeks we mean

Usually one on each cheek in Romania.

(Right buccal cheek first, then left butt cheek.)

norovirus thread is >>>>>>>>>>>>>

The virus is usually spread by the fecal–oral route.

looks like trump is set to do this presser that was originally supposed to be Pence. Can't let a good ratings opportunity pass I guess.

adult film industry on lockdown xpost

as a foreigner I don’t get dragged into much cheek kissing / brushing thankfully

Van Morrison is playing here tomorrow night, and to keep under the 1000 person restriction he’s agreed to play two sets instead, with each capped at a 1000 rather than the 2000 regular capacity.

I thought it was 5,000! clever solution though by Van

1000 as of yesterday.

can't argue with the logic behind it

That's why he's The Man.

Will the 1000 spread out (leave empty seats between friend groups) or just get the best seats? The latter would seem to accomplish nothing.

My work put on a benefit concert at the O2 last week where Van was part of the lineup. There were 12,000 people there. We’re all probably fucked.

how long before right-wing conspiracy theorists/Trumpists claim coronavirus fatalities are being faked/esaggerated/"all those corpses are crisis actors" etc.

they're already on it

The Dilbert guy who trained Republicans into telling people Trump didn't praise Nazis when Trump praised Nazis is leading the charge to help bluff Trump out of a pandemic. pic.twitter.com/z7PEB7ce5B

— LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) March 9, 2020

Well I wanna make love to you tonight
I can't wait till the COVID is gone

xpost

We had to go ahead with it or risk getting sued by the production company. They’d just advised people over 60 to avoid crowds meanwhile every performer was def 60+ so if a bunch of big names all kick it it’s prob my bosses fault. Anyway, I’m not normally a germophobe but this is scaring me. I basically disinfected the entire office today and my legs are going to be ripped because I’m starting to master being able to balance on the bus without having to touch anything.

LOL

If Trump is president when we have a toilet paper shortage, are you more likely to support bidet?

— Scott Adams (@ScottAdamsSays) March 9, 2020

xxxxposts

the comedy team of Cuomo & deBlasio, ladies & germs

https://gothamist.com/news/coronavirus-subway-crowd-empty-mta

Speaking of negronis:

The scene in Italy: "it’s quite difficult not to go for an aperitivo, and that’s why you can still see people pouring into restaurants and bars, completely ignoring safety advice.”

The government should lock us in but pay for an open bar tab for the entire country.

I love Italy and Italians but expecting things to be orderly there is folly. I lolled when I read “[ Conte ] also said Italy would overcome the virus if people followed the rules” because, have you seen how people park there?

The other day were discussing what would happen if they tried to shut the pubs here, armed revolution was the consensus

Was thinking this would either be the best or the worst time to repeal the ban on online poker, to give people something to do at home.

From a reporter friend on the ground: family of the student who tested positive for #COVID2019 in 1 of St. Louis’ most affluent neighborhoods (after traveling to Italy) are defying quarantine. Father & sister went to a school dance, mom went grocery shopping & got her nails done.

— Emily Claire Goldman (@mle_goldman) March 9, 2020

Not quite grokking the logic behind the UK just carrying on, when widespread community transmission is admitted to be inevitable. I’ve heard one person say you don’t want to take front-line responders out of the workforce (because their kids are home or whatever). I’ve heard another say you don’t want to just push the problem to a worse time of year (next winter?) Apologies if I’m being extremely dumm

I bet that St. Louis family took all the necessary essential oils precautions.

xp I think it's about accepting there's going to be a wide outbreak but attempting to time it so we're over the worst of other seasonal illnesses then spreading it out so we mostly all get sick but not all at once

both of my (nyc) subway stops smelled strongly of lemon pine sol this evening

i'm not certain that actually helps, but i guess they're doing something extra

Surely rat piss is the bst disinfectant.

otm

xpost you saw that the head of the port authority was positive?

Matt Stoller:


The reason America can’t handle the Coronavirus is the same reason we can’t do anything else right. We don’t let the people who do the work have any say over how or whether the work is done. That’s why America has mishandled various wars, the response to Katrina, the financial crisis, big tech monopolies, Boeing, the Iowa caucuses, and the crisis with Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. American institutions are organized entirely around the short-term horizon of financiers, and these financiers seek to create monopolies and to grab cash by thinning out supply lines and generating hidden risk.

every tragedy is an opportunity to make money in america.

Lol @ Italians being Italian.

Can’t stop thinking of the old Italian man under quarantine bemoaning the lack of pasta in local supermarkets pic.twitter.com/s434Cu7926

— Sam ✍️🕖 (@halaljew) March 9, 2020

For those in the UK there’s a slightly glib but creditable doc made two years ago about pandemic planning in the UK:

Contagion: The BBC Four Pandemic: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p059y0p1

xpost That was so lyrical.

Weirdly, the test case town in the BBC doc, Haslemere, was the first place in the UK that anyone is recorded to have infected someone else with coronavirus.

A graphic of hope. If this can be contained within healthcare resources, its possible to keep the toll low.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ESrEfK7XsAEOHHr?format=gif

Two Germans have died since then btw

Moldova has banned all foreign visitors arriving via plane from one of the countries currently affected. Vietnam has effectively done the same by withdrawing Italy, France, the UK, Germany, etc, from the scope of their visa-free programme.

I wouldn't be surprised to see other countries following this line. The UK isn't going to stop people travelling but we may find out nobody's willing to have us.