Am still healthy

Am just a bit busy and got nothin' to say right now.

Read the folks on the sidebar.

Wash your hands.

Stay safe. 

An interesting theory:

It was postulated to me that China ALLOWED the Covid-19 Coronavirus to escape it's borders and deliberately  downplayed the seriousness of the outbreak in order that, while it;s economy would be seriously damaged by the disease and the social disruptions, if it should get into the world population and damage the rest of the world's social structure and economies it would keep us ll on the same level.

Further, if the schedule was such that China would begin recovering first, then they would have a "Leg Up" on the rest of the world.

I'm not sure that I can buy that, but I did find it disturbing to think about....that people, even the Chinese leadership, might think in those terms.

I suppose it could be that I am naive. 

An old saying:

"Pigs get fat, Hogs get slaughtered"

The DNC types (and, lets face it some RNC types as well) tried to load up the bailout bill with a whole shitload of pork for their pet projects in order to advance their chosen philosophy...

and, had they chosen one or two items, it might be that they had gotten their wishes, and the fight to remove those items would not have been worth the fight or political capital....and they'd have likely gotten that funding for some of their pet projects.

As it was, they loaded so much Pork onto the Stimulus Bill, that it WAS worth the effort to get it removed...

And in doing so, the victory by Trump damaged their cause and their standing with the American People badly.
It backfired.

Observations:

I've been mostly staying at home this past few days.,

"Social Distancing" as it were, with a vengeance.
(I'm lucky that I don't need to leave the house for anything important, so I haven't been....)

Anyway, I needed some fresh milk, vegetables and some chips and some cheese and a few other incidentals, so I ventured out to the store.

Wow.
What a difference a week makes.

Firstly, the store wasn't crowded. The shelves were not fully stocked, but, for the most part, there was  some of everything....although folks that work at the store that I am friendly with told me that they had been told that things were simply not in stock at the warehouse, so expect shortages soon.....

The folks that were at the store were friendly, but were practicing "Social Distancing" People were almost afraid to invade that magical 6 foot envelope. they talked, they just kept their distance,
For the folks that were unable to determine what 8 foot means, there were helpful signs placed more or less the correct distance apart to show people how far away they should stand from each other....lots of  well made very well designed (lots of the nuances I learned about in my advertising design classes long, long ago) signs like that. (More on that later).

Unlike before , people were tolerant and polite. everyone appears to be trying out the new rules. No one is sure exactly what they should do, but at least they are being polite about it.

There is now clear plexiglass (lexan) panels in front of the folks behind the counter, separating the customers from the cashiers...but the folks bagging the groceries have no such protection. Nice idea, but FAIL.

The Starbucks in the outlot of the grocery store had a line of cars wrapped all the way around it. IN fact, one and a half times around it. People , despite the current situation must really need that Carmel Latte Macchiato to survive. (or whatever the hell overpriced and expensive sounding drink they buy at a Starbucks). I would estimate that the wait time in the Drive-Up line exceeded 35 minutes.

For the most part, traffic was about a quarter to a third of "normal" on a Saturday.

A part of me....the part that thinks that Reynolds-Wrap is a fine material for a beanie....cannot help but wonder where those very well made and finely nuanced vinyl signs that were stuck all over the floor came from. Seriously, there were over a hundred and fifty of them in just the one store I went into...and it wasn't a huge grocery store. (a normal sized midwest grocery store, probably originally built on the 80's, may have been a Jewel-Osco or Kroger at one time long ago.....I realize that printers can move quickly, but it was almost odd the stickers....as if someone had them ready....and this whole  "Social Distancing" thing is a just an experiment in conditioning of the populace...(much like I sometimes wonder about the TSA). I seriously doubt the effectiveness of the magical 6 foot spacing...either people are sneezing and coughing and putting droplets of mucus out into the air, or they aren't...and if they are, then we are breathing that, and 6 foot is not enough to keep us safe.

Anyway, that is the report from Northwest Indiana for Saturday, March 28, 2020. 

I woke up this morning

And it was a dreary, rainy morning.

And it kinda felt like this was the manifestation of the first chapter of a really badly written dystopian science fiction novella ...

It was kinda weird.

But then I realized that, while it might be like that in New York, it wasn't that bad here, where I live.

So I counted my blessings and went on living.

You should too, if you can.

Real numbers

And, a lesson on statistics.

While I believe that most of my readers CAN see things this way, and can understand statistics,  just in case, you should READ THIS. 

As we test for more cases, we find that the rate of death is remaining pretty stable. we find that the rate of people dying looks to be just a bit over 1%. Not that the death of 1% of the Coronavirus sufferers is not tragic...it is. But it isn't the 10% that the WHO told us might happen.

And, having said that, Aesop has a great commentary on a previous post here as to why that number of people hitting the hospitals is overwhelming their ability to care for these people.

One statistic I DO NOT have, and would like to have, is the number of people with severe cases of Covid-19 that need a ventilator that recover. In other words, if you get bad enough that you need a ventilator, and are placed on a ventilator, what are your chances of recovery? 50%? 20%? 10%? I suspect that people that get sick enough to need  a ventilator may not recover no matter what care is given.  I hope I am incorrect. I simply don't know, as there is, again, simply no data to be had. It would be a good bit of information to know though.

Things that we should ponder

SO since restaurants are closed, and people can only get food from them via delivery or take-out, in many locations the liquor rules that would "normally" prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages under these circumstance have been "relaxed". (and it is a pretty cool world where you can get a margarita DELIVERED to your door, innit?)

Now, if there was a good reason to prohibit the sale of alcohol in such circumstances 2 weeks ago, those same reasons should exist today....right?

Or, if the sale of alcohol is OK in these trying times, then why shouldn't it be OK 6 weeks or two months from now when this coronavirus crisis has ebbed?

I mean, if we were restricting the sale of alcohol to on-premise consumption for some reason other than to keep the prohibitionist people happy enough that they would stay quiet and now they've been told to shut up, then is that a good reason to put those restrictions back when this is all over?

I'm thinking that this is but one example of rules and regulations...laws and ordinances that could be stricken from the books when things get more normal shaped.

Relaxing the rules on when truckers can drive, how long they are on duty? We were told that this was to make us safer on the roads. But have we sacrificed any safety by letting those drivers drive an extra hour or two just so that the shelves of the local supermarket can be stocked with cereal? With more Toilet Paper? With Frozen orange juice?

I could bring other examples to this, but at some point it becomes redundant.

And, again, if our government can still make the wheels turn and the busses run on time and the water flow and such with only "essential personnel" in place, then do we really need all those other people in those offices eating up tax dollars? Yes, those offices probably DO need a few more than those few working today, but do we really need to have the other 50-75 (or more) percent of the staff that is currently "Sheltering in Place" if they are able to accomplish their duties right now?

When this is all over, we should push for a closer look at ALL the laws that were relaxed for the "emergency" and see if we really need 'em. And we should seriously look at cutting staffing in local, county and state office, much less the Federal ones.

Mask shortage

SO why can't the masks be sterilized in an autoclave?

Do hospitals still even have autoclaves anymore?

How about misting the masks with isopropyl? It is a pretty good sterilization agent (the active ingredient in that Hand Sanitizer people use instead of handwashing). It's cheap and readily available. Easy to apply....  one could easily wet the surfaces with a mist using a simple airbrush. (might need ventilation as the fumes can be flammable) and let them dry for a few hours.

Of course, they could just stop using the masks ONCE for each time they enter and then leave the room....but yes, I know..."Protocol". But that protocol assumes an unlimited supply of those masks. Now that supply is finite. so one would think they would change that "Protocol".

Someone has a brain

Indianapolis 500 is rescheduled.

'Cause having 235,000 people in (more or less) one place in the next few weeks is probably a REALLY bad idea.

Plus, let's face it, having all those folks travel, be it by air or auto, then packed into motels restaurants and bars, then at the parking areas waiting on the shuttles, then in lines, then back to the motels, restaurants and bars, then the travel home.....It would be a mass infection event.

Prudent precaution there.

If only our Federal government had been that prudent in January.....

Question:

Yeah, I know, I ask a LOT of questions. Blame my parents.

Anyway....

So New York City claims 20,000 new infections of Coronavirus.

So far, it appears that the virus causes few symptoms in most people, at most 15-20% of them need ANY sort of care.

NY also claims that the "Hospitals are overwhelmed".

Really? They can't handle a load of 4000 coronavirus patients? Remember, they've already cancelled most elective surgery, and they have recalled as many retired health care folks as they can find....

The numbers just don't add up. Around 7% of people need some sort of care when they get Covid-19 on average. If the group of people that get it is older than normal, that number can double. At most, 20% of them might need some sort of skilled care.

so 20% of 20,000 is....4000 people. Probably less than half that will really need some care from hospital staff.

Four thousand people MIGHT need a bed and some care. Might. likely (at a max) 5% will need intensive care. (1000 people). Maybe. If these numbers hit the high end of the statistics we already have seen and collected for this disease.

Even if it is four thousand.....You gonna tell me that NY can't handle four thousand people?

Are their hospitals that poorly staffed? Are there that few hospitals per population?

Something doesn't make sense. 

The stats from yesterday:

I know math is hard. It is for me too.

1570 visits yesterday to this blog. Let's assume that each person in the US is exposed to the Coronavirus.

Approximately 15 people known to have the virus were reported in comments (at least one death, sadly)

So the anecdotal data shows about 1 in 100 people from 1570 responses.

Now let us use some numbers and some math.

For a number, lets say that each person responding knows....50 people in the parameters that I set. I don't know that that is a valid number, but it should work to give us a picture. 50 times 1500 gives us a sample size of  75,000

15 cases out of 1570 responses. Lets round that down to 1500 just to make the numbers neat.

15/1500= 0.01....1 percent.......1 percent of the people reading this blog knew of a death or a case of coronavirus in their circle of friends and/or acquaintances and chose to comment. 

So far, most have or are recovering. 1 out 15. So of the confirmed (ish) cases, we have a current death rate of  (1/15)....or 6.6666% Six percent of the cases died. Let's round that number to .07....seven percent.

So (so far!) we have 7 percent of 1% as a rate of death. 0.01 times 0.07 equals .0007. Do it in percentages......07%.

Is it gonna be a big number when extrapolated out to the 375 Million people in the US? Let us see....

0.0007 times 375,000,000 equals 262,500. Which is pretty close to the death total for Swine Flu. (and we all remember the dead piled up like cordwood outside of the hospitals in 2009-2010, right?).

This is more serious than the  "Normal" flu (about 55,000 dead each year) but it isn't gonna end up killing us all. Even if this is low by a factor of TEN, it still isn't gonna end us all. 

Now, please understand, this isn't a valid survey, it isn't really terribly good data (lots of assumptions made, and a poor sample, and it isn't corrected for location nor age of the sample or a lot of other things), and it isn't, in fact, designed to prove anything one way or the other. But as  a sample, it does match the currently REPORTED cases vs deaths at least somewhat. The picture looks something like what I present here.

This is based on some pretty sketchy data and it is a snapshot, not total cases...., so take these numbers with a grain of salt...maybe the whole shaker....

Try to stay healthy. Do the Distancing Thing. Be smart about this.

Wash your goddamned hands. Often.

A sad commentary

On our cites.

Have you noticed that many "High End" shops that are closed are also boarded up? Windows and door covered in plywood?
They are afraid that "Yoots" will  smash the widows and grab the stock. And the police are too busy to patrol enough to keep this from happening. Boarded up to prevent looting and vandalism.

Best thing the city governments could do, both from a public order standpoint and to prevent the transmission of disease would be to shut down Public Transportation.

A sad commentary on both the state of our civilization and on the progress of Dr. King's dream. 

need my readers help:

On any given day, I have about 800-1200 readers.

I'm gonna assume that each readers has 100 close contacts...close co-workers, friends, family, neighbors,  etc. Someone you had contact with via phone or face to face, in the past month...(just to set a limit).

Do any of the people you know have the Covid-19? Any of those people?
Then lets take a step even farther. Do any of THOSE people have, in that same defined circle of connections, have anyone that has the virus. (please, if possible, make sure that they are real, not rumor).

I'm not talking "In the county" or "at the plant where you (or they) work". Not "someone in the warehouse of the store that my sisters cousins't neighbors brother works for but has never met".

Real incidences, with two points of separation. Either someone YOU know closely, or someone THEY know closely.

I'd really like to know.

Please let us know in comments.
(I shouldn't have to say this, but please respect privacy concerns).

Thanks

ETA: Please also tell me if they have a positive test  and/or are symptomatic please.

Looks like New York

So it looks like LOTS of cases in New York. (No surprise there).

Yet I can't help but notice that the City Government has not yet shut down the busses and Subways.

One would think that this would help prevent the spread of the disease by keeping people farther apart when they walk instead of ride, and even more by keeping people closer to home.

I dunno. 

Men hit harder by coronavirus response

Stolen from Thomas

Day 487 of the quarantine:

Today I finished sorting the gravel in my driveway by size, shape and color.

This is a good article

And not just because it says (better than I have!) what I have been trying to point out all along:

The numbers just don't add up as to why we have destroyed our economy and essentially shut down. 

You can look up actual WORLDWIDE cases here, sorted by country. Cases/deaths/recovered.  This is Johns Hopkins data, so I would expect it to be pretty reliable.

(as of 18:30 local time here in the Midwest) there have been WORLDWIDE:

375,458 CASES. IE tested for and found to have the virus. (Probably more that were asymptomatic and did not bother to get tested though). Please note that the world population is approximately 7,690.000.

16, 371 deaths. Please note that the "normal" flu killed more people this year just here in the US than the CoronaVirus has killed worldwide.

100,958 have recovered.

Notice how low these numbers really are?

And for this we have essentially shut down the WORLD economies?

One wonders what, exactly is going on here. (unless these governments know something about this illness that they aren't sharing, this is a massive overreaction)

Go, READ this article. It is longer than 20 sentences, but it is worth reading and no skipping.

A week ago:

From CBS:

CBS: "A week ago there were no cases reported in New Orleans, now there are HUNDREDS!"

Of course, a week ago, no one had been tested for Covid-19, either.

Now, since we are testing everyone with any symptoms that are in any way flu-like, the number of cases is, of course, exploding.

Prior to that, of course, folks were assumed to have the FLU (one of many) and were sent home.

Now, of course, they are tested for CV-19.

So yeah, the number of cases is skyrocketing.

(There is a lot of speculation that this disease has been here since early January, that it took a long time for us to notice).

Also, the Media is starting to try to panic everyone with the "there are no medical supplies!!!" "People are gonna be triaged and some will be left outside to die!!" .

Again, if they choose to continue to use masks only once before disposal, then yeah, that might happen. In other countries, they use 'em for hours. I haven't yet seen the bodies stacked like cordwood, nor have I seen old people refused treatment (or left on an ice floe)...at least not yet here is the US.

As to the rest? I dunno. I do know that the Media like death and blood and panic. At this point they are beyond crying "wolf".

There are times I am thinking this is a giant Social Experiment in control of the populace.

I am amazed

T the number of people, especially women, who think somehow that the only way to cleanse your hands is to use "Hand Sanitizer".....that simple handwashing with soap won't do it, that using a small spray bottle with Isopropyl (or ethyl, for that matter) alcohol and vigorous wiping won't do it.

They gotta have hand sanitizer or they gonna die. No other way to cleanse your hands.

Sometimes people's ignorance amazes me. 

'Twas pointed out to me....

That if this "shelter in Place" shit goes on for as long as they say it might...

We are gonna find out what a whole shitload of women's hair color really is....

Christ on roller skates

So it is bad enough that the "Social Distancing" has caused the NASCAR race to be cancelled in an "Overabundance of Caution"...

But they were showing the 1986 Richmond 400....Which was kinda entertaining...seeing the older cars (back when they were really "stock" cars) and the terrible resolution of the then state of the art TV cameras...

But then the Governor of Illinois pre-empts the channel to bloviate about the efforts to....something and the fact that something else was being done and blah blah BLAHBLAH BLAH. and then he talked about AMAIRHGHROEWNBSXDS and then some other person came up and spent 5 minutes saying nothing about MLKJFFAJDP{WQNF and then the Governor came back and discussed the fforts in reducing the alkfjads;kfja;kfjalskf.

thank god they are done. So much hot air wasted to say essentially nothing that has not already been said about a (apparently, it appears) non emergency disease "outbreak".

I think he is just trying to get as much camera time as possible.

Thank god I didn't miss much of the race rerun.

Others are starting to ask the same questions:

Like Here

At some point the Feds and the State Governments are gonna have to address this. 

(Yet another) Question:

People are (mostly) complying with the "Shelter in place" request from our State governments.

These precautions are...inconvenient for most of us, but not unreasonable. Social Distancing, greater awareness of handwashing, all are good things, reasonable precautions.... things we likely should do every cold and flu season. Now that we have this additional disease, we should all take precautions to not spread this and other diseases, despite the inconvenience....

To a point.....

At what point will we decide, when the tens of thousands of cases of CoronaVirus DON'T appear at the hospitals, when the health care system ISN'T overwhelmed, when the inconvenience stretches for weeks (or months)...when folks can't pay their rent, their car payments.....When the economy in which they live is destroyed around them....when will they say "Ok, this has gone too far".

The infection rates of this virus don't appear to be even as high as the "Swine Flu"/H1N1 of 11 years past. Yet the reaction by our government is greatly more....in fact, it is bordering outrageous and over the top. (I think they are doing what they can to emphasize the stats to scare us, actually)

Effectively holding people prisoner in their homes? Closing restaurants and stores? Putting hundreds of thousands (or more) out of work?  Effectively destroying our economy? Over the fear that this virus, with a rate of sickness that is lower than the "Normal" seasonal flu, with a rate of death that is near to or lower than the Swine Flu of years ago, that this "MIGHT" grow greater?

At what point will enough be enough?

What happens then?

Especially since we are probably "Flattening the wrong Curve"


Plus there's this:

Now part of this may simply be the testing...what percentage of the population gets tested vs deaths.
But there may be a LOT more to why Italy is approaching 3 times the rate of the US or Australia or even Japan. And it appears that the Italians have pretty poor health care facilities...and even there, the rates are still actually pretty low...

Either way, at what cost are these precautions?

(Note: These precautions MIGHT be valid,...if the federal government knows something about the virus that they are't telling us....But so far, this whole debacle looks to be a terrible overreaction.

Then again, at moments here and there, I can't help but wonder if those tin-foil hatted folks might not have a point that there is something more sinister to this....Some sort of "economic reset" type thing and the Wu-Flu is just a convenient vehicle to make it happen....That explanation would, perhaps, explain Trumps performance the other night when he made his wooden speech to all the American People......)

Another question:

(yeah, I was raised by my Dad and Mom (and a few other mentors) to ask a lot of questions. I question everything and I like to turn a lot of data over in my mind)

We get stats on the Media about "number of cases" of CororinaVirus, and we get stats for "number of deaths" (those I question...not that they are dead, but that they died from Covid-19...often they are already old, weak or otherwise compromised and have other complicating factors).

But one bit of data I don't ever see is the number of people needing little or no care, or some level of hospitalization because of the effects of Covid-19. In fact, if you look, the data is pretty much only aimed at "deaths" and not much else.

Out of the several thousand cases for any one given area that have shown enough symptoms that they are tested, how many need any level of hospitalization?
I guess because they aren't anything the media can sensationalize, they don't give us any of that data.

I do think it would be a good bit of data though.

People showing symptoms and tested vs people tested showing positive vs people needing actual care vs people needing hospitalization vs people needing intensive care vs people dying.

I think the numbers would be not as terrible as the media and our governments might like you to think.

Then again, until I see some data I just don't know.

Census tips

At least for the online version:

(I got my census the other day and did the online entering).

told 'em two people live here.

One male and one female.

The website kept trying for more info but if you keep hitting "enter" it eventually moves to the next page.

Fuck 'em they don't need to know about my hispanic heritage.

They don't need to know my age.

Nor the amount of money that I make
Nor anything else that their questions asked.

Legally, I gave 'em the answers that the Constitution demands. Anything else is not legal, no matter what they say.

2 adults, one male, one female. Unless they are gonna start counting black and Hispanic folks as 3/5 again or something, it shouldn't matter. Despite the scary warnings, I don't think they are gonna prosecute me because I chose not to tell them my income, nor my shoe size, nor the size of anything else (Ahem, Large, Ahem), how many cars I own, etc.

So if you get the online version, just hit enter a few times and it sill go to the next question.
At least it did for me.

Well, DUH

"now that Coronavirus test kits are widely available, the number of confirmed cases has skyrocketed"

Duh.  No shit? Prior to that, they couldn't be confirmed.

There should be a minimal IQ level to be a newsweasel At least ...70? 

"Aced" it.

As to why a lot of people (myself included) are not taking the "Panic! (Don't panic) news about the CoronaVirus as seriously as the powers that govern us might like us to.

Apocalypse Fatigue

(He fails to mention the Swine Flu, which was supposed to leave diseased corpses stacked up in the streets around the hospitals as overworked Doctors and Nurses fell from exhaustion trying to Save Us All....)

Look: I think this is serious. I think closing the schools and large-ish gatherings is not a bad idea. Greater emphasis on personal hygiene..handwashing, sanitizing yer hands, etc. is probably a good idea that we should practice most Clold and Flu seasons...or any time, really.
Closing the roads and "Shelter in Place? I dunno. But I'm not a doctor.

If they really believed the predictions they quote, then the larger cities would stop mass transport.


But at the end of it, they, (the Media and/or the Government) have cried wolf too many times. No one knows what to believe. Should we REALLY panic THIS TIME? Or will it end up being a nothingburger like the last 57 or more times they told us to panic?

And now the politics takes precedence

So some folks are now getting their "profession" designated as "critical Infrastructure".

Ferinstance: Flight schools are considered "critical" and are, therefore, mostly exempt from many regulations during the "Travel Ban" in California.

So now we see that the :Social Distancing, etc so much so that the Government of California and the United States, has decided that having flight students take 2 or three weeks off is a Bad Idea, even though the rest of the country is essentially crippling parts of our economy to (supposedly) keep this disease from spreading....and we are essentially stopping education for our children for the rest of the school year.











March 20, 2020



Flight Schools Remaining Open


On Thursday, March 19, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom of California issued an Executive Order (N-33-20) issuing a stay-at-home decree and the shuttering of all non-essential businesses in California. There are many questions from flight schools within California and elsewhere about the California Executive Order and how it affects whether a flight school can remain open.

The Executive Order States:

“The federal government has identified 16 critical infrastructure sectors whose assets, systems and networks, whether physical or virtual, are considered so vital to the United States that their incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on security, economic security, public health or safety, or any combination thereof. I order that Californians working in these 16 critical infrastructure sectors may continue their work because of the importance of these sectors to Californians’ health and well-being.”

The Executive Order includes a link to the Department of Homeland Security’s Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) which identifies the 16 critical infrastructure sectors and detailed information of which businesses are included in these sectors. You will find that the Aviation sub-sector of the Transportation Systems Sector details the following:

“… the aviation mode includes commercial and recreational aircraft (manned and unmanned) and a wide variety of support services, such as repair stations, fueling facilities, navigation aids, and flight schools."

If your flight school is a college or university program or works with a college or university, the definitions are less clear.

According to California Executive Order N-33-20, flight schools in California may remain open.

Why is this important to flight schools outside of California?

The California Executive Order is important to all flight schools because it specifically ties the list of businesses that may remain open to a federal agency, CISA. It is FSANA’s opinion that flight schools outside of California may also choose to remain open because of this very important designation. FSANA believes the CISA definition of critical infrastructure businesses should preempt any state or local declarations that are to the contrary.

If you decide to keep your flight school operational, FSANA strongly recommends following all CDC, WHO, and medical advisories regarding employee hygiene, aircraft and facility sanitization, social distancing, and any other precautionary measures that you deem necessary to keep your employees and students safe and healthy. FSANA is developing a set of recommended COVID-19 Precautions and Best Practices which we will provide in the coming days.






Flight Schools are "critical".

Really?




One wonders what other "critical" activities have been designated that really....aren't

Airport control towers:

Midway (MDW) and Las Vegas (LAS) control towers had personnel who tested positive for Covid-19.

The towers have been closed since late March 17.

Now, I can understand closing the towers for cleaning.

But one might think that they would be able to clean and disinfect the spaces in a few hours. Bleach and water, soap and water, disinfecting wipes, or even alcohol. I've been in the MDW tower, and it isn't that large that it could not be sanitized by 2 or three people in an hour or so. And I mean wiped down, not just sprayed down.

One would think they'd have been able to do it three or 4 times by now.

Odd.

I'm tempted to fly there  (MDW, not LAS) while the tower is closed just so I can say I did it without being cleared to land.....

If you aren't doing it

And you can't go to work and have some time on your hands....

Contact (maybe don't visit in person though) your elderly or infirm neighbors and see if they need anything.

Perhaps go shopping for them, in order that they don't have to expose themselves to the general public during the "Health Crisis"....minimize, in other words, their contact with the general public.....since they are most at risk.

Especially if you are going shopping anyway. 

Chicago on "Lockdown"

Except they admit that it has no force of law.

And the Chicago Transit Authority is still running busses and trains. even though it is a major vector for the spread of disease.

The Governor of Illinois got all squirmy when asked at a press conference as to whether he could make it illegal to be outside or even to drive.

And roads and interstates will still be open.

So it's not a "Lockdown" lockdown....

Question:

We are all told that n-95 (or any other kind) of facemask doesn't help with prevention re: Covid-19.

(Which I call "Bullshit" on, as the disease, we are told, is spread by droplets from sneezes and coughs, and anyone who has worn a dust mask knows that, while they don't stop all particles, they do stop the majority....)

But since we are told the masks don't work, then why is the Health Care industry screaming that they need those same masks? That without them, they will all get sick and die?
Which is it? Either they work, or they don't.

Also, Have you ever watched to see how those masks are used? They (caregivers) go in to a patient's room, masked, gloved, gowned.
Once done, when they leave, they remove ALL of the PPE (mask, gloves, gown) and then put on the PPE before entering another patient's room.
Now I can see gloves, cause they are touching the patient, but mask and gown being completely replaced for EACH patient?
I'm no doctor, but I have to ask why new mask, new gown every time. Especially when the next patient is also sick with the same virus.
I find it hard to believe that 5 minutes of use renders that (doesn't work anyway!) mask less effective.

It is no wonder they are running out of masks and gowns.

A suggestion: Lots of closed restaurants...they have gloves, if nothing else.

Can any medical professional clarify my questions on PPE? 

The experiment continues....

So far, no Wu-Flu.

And I am keeping to my regimen of C2H5OH.

It appears to be working. Not a bit of coronavirus symptoms.

We shall see how it goes.

(Note: I'm not a Doctor, but I have played one...)

Coronavirus stories

Not everyone dies. Not everyone even gets terribly sick,

Some people recover at home.

But don't let that stop you from washing your hands. 

Humor

From my brother:

No shit?

Who woulda thunk it?

99% of Those Who Died From Virus Had Other Illness, Italy Says.

More than 99% of Italy’s coronavirus fatalities were people who suffered from previous medical conditions, according to a study by the country’s national health authority

just three victims, or 0.8% of the total, had no previous pathology. Almost half of the victims suffered from at least three prior illnesses and about a fourth had either one or two previous conditions.

The average age of those who’ve died from the virus in Italy is 79.5 (emphasis mine) . As of March 17, 17 people under 50 had died from the disease. All of Italy’s victims under 40 have been males with serious existing medical conditions.

about 100,000 Italians have contracted the virus, daily Il Sole 24 Ore reported. That would bring back the country’s death rate closer to the global average of about 2%

Note: a bunch more deaths in the past 24 hours. So the statistics might well change.

Having said that, the first run, Hot-wash numbers don't look like it is as bad as the Swine Flu.

Having said that, dead is dead. Might they have died from "normal" flu? Who knows?

As the saying goesL Read the whole thing. 

Have you noticed?

Media and large corporations are now prefacing the explanations of their actions, be they closings, staff reductions, changes in policy or other actions they are taking regarding the corona virus with the words

"in an overabundance of caution...."

Methinks they are now realizing that this will be an overblown "Crisis" and they are hedging their bets so they can explain why they are taking actions that might be looked at askance later.

This is a crisis. The potential is there for a great deal of deaths. It was there in 2009 for the Swine Flu pandemic but that was a fizzle.

The "Social Distancing" isn't a bad idea. The emphasis on personal hygiene...handwashing and/or hand sanitizer use is a great idea (but then it is every cold and flu season). Closing schools? Probably. Closings of restaurants? Probably overkill, but done in "an overabundance of caution" Same same bars. Nightclubs movie theaters and other large gatherings? Probably a good idea. closing places where large groups of people could be in close proximity to one infected person are great vectors for fast spread  isn't a bad idea at any time when there is an easily communicable disease...in other words EVERY cold and Flu season....

I find it telling that they are prefacing their actions with those words. Methinks that people and governments are beginning to think that they are possibly overreacting and are trying to make sure they have an out when/if this fizzles.

Help spread the rumor to all the Liberals

That Ben Gay (or Icy-hot) applied anally twice a day will prevent the CoronaVirus.



I wanna see how many of them try it

Picking the businesses to damage:

So here in Indiana, Restaurants are closed to eat-in traffic (take out only). Bars are supposed to be closed (not all are complying) Movie theaters are closed.

Now this seems like a good idea to prevent the spread of Covid-19 (even though it appears that the death rate is MUCH lower than promised...lower, in fact than the Swine Flu/H1N1 of 2009) by limiting the amount of time people spend in public. Limiting the number of contacts that they have with other people...

However:

Lots of other businesses are unaffected by closure orders, however. All also could be vectors for the transmissions of disease.

Home Depot stores are open. Also Lowes. Also Best Buy. Also the Cell phone stores. Staples office supplies. All are high traffic stores where LOTS of people interact, pass close to each other, and touch things with their (often grimy and infected) hands.

Why are these places still allowed to be open? The risk of contact with someone in a Lowes store, or a Best Buy is just as high as in a restaurant...probably as high as in a bar. Less of an issue than in a crowded bus or subway car...which services are still operating.

So, I ask. Why are SOME places closed and not others. One could make the argument that the grocery stores are a necessity...one could stretch it to include the rest of the Walmart SuperCenters and the like (Target, Meier, etc).  One could argue that the pharmacies need to be open. Gas stations, yes. But the Convenience store part of most gas stations is NOT a needful, emergency, essential part of commerce. Nor is the rest of the drugstore.....Nor the rest of the WalMart or Target that sells shoes, clothes, pillowcases, sporting goods and makeup.

Liquor stores are open. Yes, for some, a ready supply of wine or hard liquor is a lifestyle requirement, but not a necessity for life.

What criteria are the government using to decide what businesses are damaged by closure and what businesses are not? 

I'm thinking an article 4 issue:

Seems that Dare County NC has blockaded their borders.

Unless they have declared a public emergency, which at this time has not been done, then they are in violation of even North Carolina law.

Here's the relevant statute:

I would think that someone with standing will sue them. As I have no reason to go to the Outer Banks at this time, this does not affect me.

But apparently one must have the proper papers to trave, there.

Police State. anyone?

I would think that there will be more of this. Foolish, perhaps, but I expect that there are small, tiny minded, fearful, tinpot dictatorial people in lots of places.

Found via Kenny

ETA: I am Not an Attorney....anyone that is one care to give an opinion? 

There is still time! NRA ballots due.

If you have not yet sent in you NRA ballot for board members, PLEASE get off your lard and do so.

The ballots MUST BE RECEIVED by March 29th.

Get 'em in the mail very very soon.

Defining staffing levels

"only essential personnel"
 County offices are reducing staff to only "Essential Personnel"

That number should be a baseline and they should cap staffing at no more that 120% of that.

Seeing as they have now defined how many they actually NEED to operate.

Think of the money they could save. Think of the efficiency. 

If large liberal cities

and their respective governments....

If they REALLY believed the hype about the transmissability of the Coronavirus....

If they really thought groups of people together are a terrible thing (enough for them to close all restaurants and malls.... as they have) then they'd be shutting down the subways, bus lines, elevated trains and all other "Mass Transit" types of public transportation.

Instead, they damage the economies, put tens of millions out of work, and still allow them to mingle across many neighborhoods as they and their fellow riders cough and sneeze and touch infected (and infect them themselves) surfaces....spreading the infections across many other people.

If it is a valid reason to close bars and restaurants, then it is a valid reason to close all public transportation.

Yet they haven't.

Odd discontinuity there, innit?

Claiming one group of people is a vector of transmission of disease, but ignoring another, potentially even greater vector.

It is a shame

That Barry Obama, back in 2009, didn't take the types of steps that the Trump Administration is taking regarding the 2009 Swine Flu outbreak.

I mean, if he had, then all those folks would not have gotten sick and died...12,500 of them.  (after over 30,000 died from "regular" Flu that year)...

And yet, despite this current virus appearing to be even LESS virulent and LESS transmittable, we have, effectively, shut down non-essential retail commerce in the US and, if course, our schools and government offices.


Liberal Trump Hating people get all upset when you point out that the Swine Fly/H1N1 outbreak was likely worse than this one will be and it was basically ignored by the Federal Government led by Barry Soetoro in 2009.

On the news:

Some (very) tattooed up chick complaining that her job doesn't let her save up enough to be able to deal with this Covid-19 caused shutdown.

Yep, It's the fault of her job.

Before BarryCare

In 2009, when we had the Swine Flu epidemic, there were no shortages of hospital beds in the United States. Nor were there shortages of staff nor shortages of protective equipment for the staff.

That was, of course, before BarryCare.

Now, of course, there are great fears that there will not be enough hospital beds, staff to use them and care for patients, and there is nearly no long term stock of protective equipment for the staff.

Can we blame this all on BarryCare? Perhaps not all of it.
But mostly, yeah, these shortages ARE the result of our Socialized Medicine Program

Train like you fight

Or, in this case, Train like you Fly.

Got my first taste of flying an approach in real IMC.

It really wasn't a big deal. Just like flying with foggles, only minus the foggles.

Altitude and position and decent rate. Time turn twist throttle talk. (and flaps and lights). Pretty much that simple. 

One ILS and one LPV RNav approach.

At the end of it, fly the needles and watch your airspeed.

One was to circling minimums and the other was straight in..

It is nice to break out of actual clouds and find the runway right where it is supposed to be....

Real preps

That last run before the end.

And there WAS NO BACON AT BEEF MART!!!

Shit just got REAL.

You just knew it was gonna happen

Another "Hitler" video.

I LOL'd.

I just realized:

A major hole in my preparations....in fact a massive oversight on my part.

I don't have a colander. ....Not a single one.
And from what I understand, they are hard to fit to someone like me.

Shit. What do I do now?

"Distance Learning"

So either the kids in high school (and lower grades also) are getting a less than stellar education for the next month or so, as schools are closed and the "alternate curriculum" is enacted, or we are learning that we really don't need to have all those teachers and school facilities wasting our tax dollars in an attempt to teach kids in the old fashioned way.

I mean, if these kids are learning just as much doing the "Distance Learning", then why do we need classrooms and such???For that matter, do we need all those teachers as well?

Or, are the kids getting a substandard level of education and the teachers are, in fact, needed and the kids are simply not getting an education to the same standard as before, and how much effect will that have on them in the future?

Are they gonna extend the time for school attendance into the summer months to make up for this time or are they simply gonna give up and let that portion of the curriculum go and let the kids have gaps in their education?

Do we really need teachers and classrooms anymore or not?

Thus far, no one has addressed this issue . But I think someone should.

Make no mistake, I think that the school closures can help prevent the transmission of disease, assuming kids are not passing it anyway in their social interactions during the time that they have off from school....If they stay home and don't wander the streets, then this can work. If they don't, then likely this is a waste of time.....and education.

Missing the point here...

Schools are closed in Chicago.
Probably a good idea, if, as we are told (repeatedly and often by the media) that the coronavirus epidemic is gonna get bigger.

But the Chicago Park District, in order to support all the parents who need to find some place to park their kids who were normally watched over by the State daycare in school, will be having "Age appropriate activities" for kids during the day.....

A great idea. but they will be packing "Not more than 50" kids into the rooms for those "activities" .
Yeah, rooms not in schools with 50 kids in them is better than rooms with 30 or so in classrooms....

Missing the point, innit? How is one better than the other? 

Like shooting well, it is a perishable skill

So I had been doing a lot of instrument training but not much "real" flying. You know, place to place, landing and debarking from the airplane and then taking off again....

Mostly going place to place and flying approaches, but not really landing, except for that single one at the end just before i put the plane away..

And my landings were becoming less and less on the side of "perfect" and getting a bit rougher.

Sunday was clear, and if a bit windy, not too turbulent nor gusty.

Also, my dad had asked me to take an aerial photo or three of a structure about 30 miles away. Since the day was clear, sunny and bright, I decided to get him his aerial photos....and do some touch and goes.

Flew to Kgyy and did a touch and go on 02 (winds were 020 at 10) The ATIS said the PAPI was out of service, and it was somewhat weird flying a final with only 2 lights showing that I was high (2 whites, no reds) and yet I knew that I was pretty much on the glide slope. Did a nice touch and go anyway and then asked for permission to depart to the west and take my pictures....the place was just on the edge of their airspace.

I got my permission and flew west 4 miles and took my pictures, orbiting for 5 minutes or so, then called for and got permission to depart to the south and back to my home airport. Oddly, the normally grumpy controllers at Kgyy were very accommodating today.

Flew south, departed their airspace and then turned east-ish and flew 35 or so miles back home.
Did 6 touch and goes on rwy 36 with a wind at 040 (ish) at 7-12 knots... did 2 that were "Meh", two that were "acceptable",  and the last two were pretty good, the second to last even dealing with a pretty good side gust.

Like shooting well, landing well takes practice to keep the hands and eyes calibrated and the muscle memory fresh. I shoot weekly, and have lots of practice...landings are still being beaten into my brain.

But it was a nice day to fly. 

Much truth here:

Via an email from a family friend.

It occurs to me

That the Panic Buying behavior exhibited by a great number of our (or at least MY) fellow citizens is a sure indicator that we, at some primal level are still (as we once were) herd animals.

Note that this behavior is especially evident in women (human females). They follow the other women, not only in fashion, but in other things, as today's behavior demonstrates.

Christ on a cracker

So I stopped in to the store at 1:00 in the afternoon.

This my more or less normal stopping time for my Friday, as I fly a lesson in the morning and generally am heading home about that time.....plus it is (usually) a lull in shoppers, and the morning crowd is finished and the late afternoon folks haven't started yet.

Not so today.

All I wanted was some fresh vegetables and some lunchmeat and cheese....

I've seen gunshows after a Democratic presidential victory with smaller crowds, less crowded aisles and fewer people with that wild look in their eye. 
The store was FILLED with panicked buyers. Carts full of canned goods and pasta and rice and bread products....topped with, (of course) toilet paper. There wasn't much meat on the shelves, nor was there any kleenex (I think that the hand santizer had long ago been sold).

There was not a cart to be had.

It was somewhat insane. I, of course, panicked 3 weeks ago and bought all my shelf stable goods before the rush.

As far as I can tell, the spark for this panic event was the closure of the local schools for a 30 day period. At least, that is what the women were chatting about as they grabbed a 6 month supply of toilet paper......

And yet, oddly, the Feminine Hygiene shelves were pretty much fully stocked. One would think that this would also be as big a need as TP....I dunno, I am a guy, so it isn't much on my mind,
Diapers were well stocked too, which I would have thought would be a large need for women with infants and toddlers.....I'd have thought that they would be in as short supply as bunghole wipes.

Odd, But what do I know.

We are a strange bunch of animals, we humans.

Probably not a bad choice

The decision has just been made:

The Indy 1500 gunshew has been cancelled.
(along with the Flower and Patio show as well, also in the same complex and at the same time frame)

At the end of it, while it will cost the show promoters some serious coin, attendance might have been sparse anyway (I had decided not to attend) because who wants to mingle with several thousand potentially sick strangers?? and it will be just one less vector for the spread of this disease....it was likely a good decision.

Make no mistake, this sort of preventative measure should have been done about a month ago (along with stopping travel and quarantining people for a month or so before letting them loose into our population)

This may not be a foolproof method of stopping the spread of a disease that is transmitted by folks sneezing and coughing and wiping their snotty hands on surfaces where others can touch, but it will mitigate the spread greatly.

"Social distancing" writ large. But it works, at least to some extent.

Having said that, I did attend my Gun Club's normal Thursday night gathering. I do intend to follow my mostly normal routine....but then again, I am mostly a loner anyway.

ETA: The NRA  annual meeting is also cancelled.
I approve of this.

ETA2: Camp Perry events cancelled by the CMP

About goddamn time

Travel Restrictions .

Far East and Europe.

No details, but at the end of it, it is what should have been done about two weeks ago (or even 30 days).  Might be too late though.

At least (finally) someone is taking serious steps to keep folks who are a risk OUT of the country.

Is it me, or did he seem to be somewhat wooden and unsure of what he was saying?

BTW, say goodbye to your 401K now. I expect the markets to tank. 

Liberals absolutely always think the worst

of Trump.

I got a bet 2:11 with a liberal sufferer of Trump Derangement Syndrome that he is gonna announce the cancellation of elections due to Coronavirus.

These folks really think that:

A. He would even make that attempt
and
B. That the courts (and his own supporters...those "despicable" folks who cling to their GUNS and religion) would allow him to do so....
and
C. Like he'd even try this early on even if he wanted to.

But these rabid haters of Trump really believe that he will try and that is what he's gonna announce.

I'm gonna enjoy having dinner (I think a steak) on that 110 bucks when I win 'cause he doesn't cancel the elections

Some folks I know

Will be disappointed.

I mean, I don't hang out with them, but I do run across a few folks who would treat this as news....(Or, for that matter, an excuse)

France tell citizens that Cocaine won't cure Coronavirus. 

One wonders how folks can be this stupid though....

Further question:

Since we have the example of Italy for how this Covid-19 is spreading (and the rate of the spread and some of the transmission vectors), Why is OUR government choosing to essentially do nothing?

I mean, I accept that there is only so much that they can do, and unless we are willing to accept travel restrictions and such for the next 30 days (with the economic fallout) there is a limited amount of preventative measure that can be taken, but still...

Why are we still allowing entry into the country without a quarantine for 21-30 days? Why aren't we defending our borders to prevent additional cases from entering? What is here is here, and I accept that we will have to deal with that. Bringing in (possible) additional carriers seems to be foolish, however.

Or am I missing something? 

Question:

If Italy thinks that the Coronavirus is enough of an issue and contagious enough that they need to put nearly the entire lockdown , then just why in the hell didn't they do something to prevent the virus from getting there in the first place?

I mean, there is closing the door after the horse has bolted and then there is the kind of reaction that Italy has....One could understand China, but the rest of the countries (including the US) have had lots of time to prepare....and they didn't. Lots of time to stop the entry of this virus into the borders.....and chose to do nothing.

Until now, when there are travel restrictions in at least one country in Europe and lots of places here in the US are cancelling events where large gatherings of people might have occurred. Schools are closing or cancelling classes. Where have our health officials been for the past 45+ days?

Trust your government.
Hah.

Stock up before the rush

I mean, once word becomes widespread, liquor stores will be sold out quickly.

Science May Have Discovered Regular Drinkers Of Hard Liquor Are Better Protected From Coronavirus

Plus, in a pinch, you can use it for hand sanitizer.

Stock up on Vodka while you can....

Toldya...

Panic buying

Not a lot here, but I was out shopping yesterday, and there is no 91% Isopropyl at either of the larg(ish) stores I visited, nor at the CVS I stopped at. Lots of 70% though.

No Aloe or toher such items to be had.

Hand sanitizer shelves were, of course, bare.


Not too many other shortages. Lots of Toilet Paper on the shelves.

So far.

And people were not crazed. Yet.

When I have to arm up to get a few sheets of Charmin, however, I think I am gonna stay home. 

"Price Gouging"

DO you expect to pay low prices when you enter a 7-11 or other "convenience" store?



Seems that people are panicking:

N-95 face masks are sold out. Hand sanitizer is sold out in many locations.

Some folks are raising prices for these items. People are complaining about "Price Gouging" and, apparently some local governments are fining those who are raising prices.

Firstly, these folks have the right to sell their property for whatever price they choose to.
Second, no one forces the "customer" to buy the items.
THirdly, deciding how much is "Too much" smacks of Government price control (and we all can see how well that works out in places like Venzuela)

Failure to prepare for a communicable disease outbreak is failure to prepare. IF the market is willing to pay $1000 for 4 large bottles of hand sanitzer, then that is the price. Shortages are like that. Part of the price one pays for failing to prepare.
(Hint: Washing your hands is almost 100% as effective)
(Protip: It isn't that hard to make your own hand sanitizer using commonly available ingredients that are not, as yet, in short supply))

Failure to plan means that you get to pay a higher price to those who did plan, or who possess the items you now want urgently and are in short supply. It is called the Law of Supply and Demand.

I applaud those who raise their prices. They are in business to make a profit, and they take chances every day when they place orders for items that they hope people will buy. They have it and others want it. Simple. If others are willing to pay a price for that item, then that is the market price. If not, then the seller will have to lower their prices.

Those who failed to plan ahead should pay a price for their lack of foresight.
Much like those who buy their (relatively expensive)soda pop at a Convenience store or a vending machine rather than going to a supermarket and paying less, or those folks who pay a higher price at a liquor store for a six pack of cold beer rather than buying it warm by the case and refrigerating it themselves.

ETA: Why is it not "Price Gouging" when motel rooms quintuple in price before the Daytona 500 or the Superbowl , or airline tickets tripling in price before Thanksgiving?  

Reditributionists

Or, Democrats. Call 'em what you wish.

But if they were true to form, they'd tax 56% of Biden's delegates and give them to Tulsi Gabbard
Same with Bernie: tax 49% of his and give that to the lowest two....

I mean, let them pay their "Fair Share"....right? 

Also: What happens to the Delegates that have already been earned by Bloomberg, Buttigieg and the other dropouts? 

At least we won't have to watch those irritating commercials:

So Mike Bloomberg didn't Get It Done.

He dropped out. Apparently his lack of Charisma and his disdain for anyone not from New Yawk and who wasn't in the Information Technology business got to the voters.

As I said, we don't have to have our lives disturbed by those irritating commercials of his.

And what have we learned? Gobs and Gobs of greebacks won't buy an election outside of New York. 

I find it interesting

That politicians who wanted to cut funding for Planned Parenthood are accused of
"Limiting a woman's right to choose".

Nice conflation there.

Do these folks really think that Abortions should be free? Contraceptives should be free?

Oh, yeah, I forgot...Socialists.

My bad. 

At 5:30 in the morning that would likely be my greeting as well:

Seems that some folks from Black Lives Matter chose to protest at the local LA District Attorney (forget the fact that they could get them organized and UP at 5: 30 AM....)

Banging on the front door and generally being rowdy got them a door opened and a gun in their face:

"Get Off My Porch"

https://twitter.com/DocMellyMel/status/1234477243260272641

And there you go:

They came trying to intimidate. And it worked.
And that is the response you get from a man who is intimidated and is prepared to defend himself and his family from a rowdy, unruly crowd.
"Play stupid games, win stupid prizes"...

If a crowd forms at 5:30 AM outside of your house, they aren't there to be nice....they are there to intimidate and frighten the occupants. They are looking for trouble.

And they found it. Lucky for them that they were smart enough, and HE was restrained enough to let things de-escalate.

They claim they were there for the "Promised Community Meeting".

5:30 AM: Really?
Liars.

After 8 AM and before 9 AM. Or you are looking for trouble.
They found it.

If he'd have shot 2 or three of them I still don't think I could convict were I on his jury.

Shopping list in case the Coronavirus

Becomes....serious..





One cannot be too prepared. 

Tough question:

So at what point , not having committed any crime, can the Federal or State government confine me to my home or other facility because I have CoronaVirus or other disease? How about curtailing my freedom to move about the country or to meet with others? 

I mean, my freedom to travel or freedom to associate is a constitutionally guaranteed right.

But yet, the Common Good is often best served by quarantining people with a communicable disease.

"Emergency Powers" are all well and good, but the issue is that I don't trust government officials**, nor are their "Experts" often well enough educated to give actual good "expert" advice. Often the responses are at best made for convenience (of the government) and at worst chosen out of malice or prejudice.

I'm not sure where the line is, or where it should be.

Thoughts?

**  History has shown that government officials are often incompetent, be they law enforcement or otherwise, and often their decisions are shaded by ambition or politics....

Now, I've been wrong before....

And, while I am not an epidemiologist, I did sleep with one once (she was sweet, and ...well, that's not the point of this post) Any way, I digress...

Her's the thing. The US has now had at least one death from Coronavirus, and has (admitted) at this time, something like 14 known cases.,,,,at least some where we don't know how they were infected.

Ok, so lets look at this. At least ONE person was infecting people not less than 10 or more days ago.....Likely more like 20-25 days.
The Virus is already here. It HAS BEEN here for at least 14 days,. Someone unknown is (or WAS) spreading said virus for at least 14 days...probably more.

The time for quarantining people entering is too late. The time for keeping people out of the US who were risky (or had risk factors) is long gone.

As of now there are cases in Europe, most of the East, and (apparently) Australia and the MidEast. I don't know about South America. Unless you stop all air travel, if it isn't yet in a large city it will be soon.

The Genie is out of the bottle, the cat is out of the bag, the Smoke has left the Lucas Wiring. No putting it back.

Is this a crisis? Yep. Would it be prudent to do a bit of preparation if you haven't? Yes. Should we panic and run around with our hair on fire? No (unless that makes you feel better, then feel free, just do it in your own home and not in the streets). City folks are at a higher risk than Rural folks (more people more close interactions, more people per square foot, etc, but the risk even in smaller communities  is NOT zero.

What you do need to realize is that the CDC's effort to keep you safe is-and-was ineffective, poorly thought out, and pretty much useless.

Just remember that Flu kills more people each year than this Coronavirus is likely to.

And also: So far, my experimentation with C2H5OH has been effective....I haven't gotten the flu nor the Coronavirus. You might want to go to your local liquor vendor and stock up, just in case.....