New territory for most of us
Good morning, my friends. Hope that you enjoyed a good weekend.
I'm not generally someone who reacts with alarm to unexpected news on any level but I have to confess that I'm concerned about Covid-19, otherwise known as the coronavirus. Based on items I've read and seen from various sources, we know these things without much disagreement:
The virus is spread by droplets expelled by coughing or sneezing (or likely just breathing) by infected persons in the air that land on us or onto surfaces
Approximately 80 percent of those infected do not require hospitalization and recover without any lasting side effects
The effect of the virus is greatest on older people and those with underlying health conditions
It's advisable to avoid large gatherings of people and close contact with those who may be carriers, so hugging and shaking hands should be generally avoided. Handwashing and using hand sanitizer and disinfecting surfaces is also helpful.
But what we're getting from our country's leadership has been a mish-mash of conflicting information and self-congratulation about what steps have already been taken and how effective they've been. There has also been an element of blame attached, as a number of political pundits have expressed that the hysteria associated with this virus is manufactured by opponents of the President and are designed to make him look bad. And the President appeared to believe that this would all simply go away, until the stock market began to react to what's happening in the global business world.
In times like these we are far better off having health professionals from organizations like the Centers for Disease Control taking the lead in explaining what's happening, what citizens can do about it, and what we can expect going forward. Instead, we have a political response at the national level.
More locally, a number of states and cities are doing what seems to be a good job in informing the public of where things stand. Here in Kentucky we have a governor who's been in office about three months, and yet we seem to get updated information on a consistent basis. In fairness, we have only had a couple of confirmed cases of positive tests for the coronavirus. Other states' leaders, like Jay Inslee in Washington and Andrew Cuomo in New York, have appeared to provide good, detailed information about their states' substantial outbreaks.
In my own work situation I attended a team meeting last Friday and my supervisor spoke directly to the coronavirus and what effect it could conceivably have on how we go about our business. I've worked for a lot of different companies but don't recall having received a direct response to something that we're all wondering about and how it may influence our work.
So information is key, as it generally is. Let's hope those at the highest levels will realize that now is not the time for what's become our standard behavior and keep partisan politics out of this.
I'm not generally someone who reacts with alarm to unexpected news on any level but I have to confess that I'm concerned about Covid-19, otherwise known as the coronavirus. Based on items I've read and seen from various sources, we know these things without much disagreement:
The virus is spread by droplets expelled by coughing or sneezing (or likely just breathing) by infected persons in the air that land on us or onto surfaces
Approximately 80 percent of those infected do not require hospitalization and recover without any lasting side effects
The effect of the virus is greatest on older people and those with underlying health conditions
It's advisable to avoid large gatherings of people and close contact with those who may be carriers, so hugging and shaking hands should be generally avoided. Handwashing and using hand sanitizer and disinfecting surfaces is also helpful.
But what we're getting from our country's leadership has been a mish-mash of conflicting information and self-congratulation about what steps have already been taken and how effective they've been. There has also been an element of blame attached, as a number of political pundits have expressed that the hysteria associated with this virus is manufactured by opponents of the President and are designed to make him look bad. And the President appeared to believe that this would all simply go away, until the stock market began to react to what's happening in the global business world.
In times like these we are far better off having health professionals from organizations like the Centers for Disease Control taking the lead in explaining what's happening, what citizens can do about it, and what we can expect going forward. Instead, we have a political response at the national level.
More locally, a number of states and cities are doing what seems to be a good job in informing the public of where things stand. Here in Kentucky we have a governor who's been in office about three months, and yet we seem to get updated information on a consistent basis. In fairness, we have only had a couple of confirmed cases of positive tests for the coronavirus. Other states' leaders, like Jay Inslee in Washington and Andrew Cuomo in New York, have appeared to provide good, detailed information about their states' substantial outbreaks.
In my own work situation I attended a team meeting last Friday and my supervisor spoke directly to the coronavirus and what effect it could conceivably have on how we go about our business. I've worked for a lot of different companies but don't recall having received a direct response to something that we're all wondering about and how it may influence our work.
So information is key, as it generally is. Let's hope those at the highest levels will realize that now is not the time for what's become our standard behavior and keep partisan politics out of this.
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