Friday, February 28, 2020

Coronavirus - concern levels rising

Initially when the Coronavirus begun in China I felt awful for the people affected but wasn't that worried about it affecting us. As time went on I saw articles saying that there is no need to panic because it's just like the flu versus articles saying people should be freaking out more! Hubby had been following the news religiously and keeping me constantly updated.


Now the Coronavisus has reached Baden-Württemberg the state where I live and people here are starting to panic. Disinfectant products are sold out from many of the local pharmacies and the stock market has plummeted. Schools, daycare and even some businesses may end up being closed. We are being encouraged to work from home when we can. I'm not so much worried for myself but hubby has lots of elderly relatives and our daughter is only two so something like this could be hard on her immune system.

It seems like Germany is taking it seriously though and mainly has a handle on things but time will tell how much it will spread. We have already started to change our behaviour- avoiding crowded places and washing our hands more often. How has it affected you?

10 comments:

  1. Basel Fasnacht is cancelled.

    Employees at Jan's company who usually commute with a train that originates in Milan have been told to work from home.

    I'm not too worried - even if I do get it I'm not in a vulnerable group and I'm rarely in crowds anyway but I'm supposed to be going on holiday soon and I'll be very upset if I can't. I need a change of scenery!

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    1. Luckily the majority of cases end up being mild thankfully. My sister was hoping to visit us but is holding off on booking any flights now because of the Coronavirus. So that's disappointing. And we were hoping to visit Ireland in a few months but hubby is also reluctant to book anything yet the way things are now

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  2. Wow, it's so interesting how this is all playing out. We only just got cases but there's a bit of panic happening and hand sanitizer is pretty much not available anymore. Not even online! There's only 1 case in NY to my knowledge right now, but students are scared and we're all washing hands and I'm trying desperately not to touch my face.

    I hope you and your family are safe and healthy and stay that way. I am glad Germany is taking it seriously -- it's weird, I haven't heard much about Germany, here in the states we've heard more about Italy, Iran, and Sweden.

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    1. I've been washing my hands more and trying to stop automatically touching my face too. Plus staying home more often than usual to avoid crowds. Italy seems to be the worst European country affected but there have been 240 cases in Germany so far, and I suspect it'll get worse here before it gets better! Thanks, I hope you all stay safe and healthy over there too!

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  3. I'm a little torn on how to respond. On the one hand, it seems pretty serious for certain populations, but there also seems to be a lot of effort at containment and prevention. I just sort of keep throwing up my hands and going "well, I'll make sure I'm washing hands/being sensible, but not much more I can do right now". Working in healthcare, though, I completely expect that if this gets much bigger, there's a good chance I'm going to wind up being exposed (and it doesn't sound like much fun).

    Here's hoping you and your family stay healthy!

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    1. Yeah in general I've been the calm one while my husband has been freaking out about it. But I just think what's the use in panicking? It's good to be alert to the risk and be sensible about it but a mass hysteria isn't helping anyone. Yeah it doesn't sound like a nice thing to catch, even as a mild case!

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  4. Thankfully they said it's not particularly dangerous to young children. They said it's mostly going after older adults with respiratory issues and the elderly.

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    1. Yea my daughter has come down with cold symptons but luckily like you say, young kids tend to only get mild Covid-19 affects if that's what it is. We are keeping her isolated just in case though so it won't spread to any of the risk groups.

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  5. Wow, it's amazing how the panic spread like it did. I read an article about people making a run on toilet paper in China and then it spread a week later to Japan. The whole panic went global. It's incredible how it spread out.

    I hope things get better in your area soon!

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    1. Yeah the rush on toilet paper has been ridiculous. Like, it's fine to stock up for a few weeks just in case but leave some for other people!
      Thanks, Germany seems to be handling it quite well so far. I just really hope things get better soon.

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