CoronaVirus has caused Houstonians to freak out.
As Coronavirus is making its appearance in Houston, supermarkets have run out of toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and water. The media has made everyone freak out because the facts allow people to have different opinions on the topic. Some people are wearing masks, gloves, and not going out in public places and others are out as if nothing was happening.
Rodeo season is here and the number of germs that are in the rides, restrooms, handles, etc. can be dangerous. There are rumors that the Health Department tried to cover the known cases for a while because they didn't want the Rodeo to lose their revenue. In this case, it is all a personal preference, either you go out and have fun, or just stay home and quarantine yourself.
It is important that we are informed on how to prevent the virus and to be prepared in case we have to go into quarantine. This is no different than the seasonal flu, but coronavirus can be scarier because unfortunately, there is no medicine for it, and because it is a "new" virus.
This echoes a sentiment I heard once during a previous outbreak scare when Ebola was becoming a concern - fear spreads faster than any disease. From what we've been seeing with people's responses to the coronavirus, it's quite easy to see how this sentiment can be truer than we'd like to think.
ReplyDeleteIn any crisis, I think, the most important thing is to remain calm - that is not to say the crisis should be ignored or downplayed; it should be treated with the level of gravity and respect it is due by all means, but a part of that necessarily includes preventing panic from overriding our judgement.