What do you "FEAR" about the 2019-coronavirus...???

[Nik]

#RICHFL, the Chinese authorities are taking advantage of covid to ram through new 'security' legislation. Yes, the obvious target is Hong Kong where, fully applied, it would make '1984' or Stalinist USSR look dangerously liberal.

Unfortunately, has been reported that draft wording would allow total suppression of reporting anything unfortunate. That Wuhan doc, who tried to alert authorities to what became the early stages of Covid, was 'taken down' and forced to recant by them. This new legislation, as it stands, would make reporting bad news a national crime...

[Centuriator]

My greatest "fear" is that we will not learn from all of this and will continue our national addiction to cheap goods from China. If there is one thing we must take away from this is that we must never ever again be dependent on China for anything essential for our nation. Period.

[ZAGran]

We have a pandemic, one symptom of which seems to be the evaporation of 'Common Sense'...quote from Nik

This is the one thing we should fear the most!

[Nik]

I'm reminded that UK's 'Income Tax' was a temporary war-time measure. Um, Napoleonic ?? And, yes, UK bar / pubs opening hours, only recently eased from hasty imposition during WW1, was intended to keep munitions workers 'sober enough to work safely'.

Against that, we have a pandemic, one symptom of which seems to be the evaporation of 'Common Sense'...

Freedom of assembly ?? Without a vaccine, without adequate testing or certfication, without social distancing, the transmission rate leaps and the cases soar. Ease just too soon, and the second wave 'goes large'.

We don't yet know if recovery confers enduring immunity to re-infection, or for how long, or for the evolving mutant variants...

Freedom of religion ?? Remember those US pastors who were busted for ignoring safety lock-down ? After claiming that the healing power of prayer would see them safely through ? One of them has now expired from covid, having sent a tranche of his bussed congregation and their innocent kin to early deaths...

Freedom of speech ?? Do you really want Alex Jones, David Icke and their ilk freely raving nonsense ? Scattering conspiracies like a lawn sprinkler ?? Blaming cell-phone masts for spreading Covid ? Inciting sabotage ??

Bad enough that we have 'Heads of State' ad-libbing serial face-palms, spinning dire statistics as a bizarre badge of honour...

IIRC, Piet Hein put it succinctly, during WW2's Skand Occupation...

Freedom means you're free to do,
Just whatever pleases you,
If, of course, that is to say,
What you please is what you may...

Tangential: I've just got home from weekly shopping trip to local budget-mall. It doubles as a bus station. There's a 2-metre gap in the safety rails at marked crossing to get between inner and outer lines of 'chevron' bus bays. With a choice of two routes on the first line of bays, I waited by a dog-leg in the rails, providing maximum 'social distancing' to passing travellers...

Then a man and woman land their shopping in the middle of the railings' gap. Yup, the one for the crossing. In front of one of many yellow dayglo signs requesting 2-metre social distancing. There's now just barely room to sidle past them to either side. Certainly no safe clearance. And not as if the bus-station is busy...

After several people nervously edged past them, I asked why, given social distancing, the couple had landed their bags *there*, leaving scant gap to pass.

They swore at me up, down and sideways. Their bags and where they waited were none of my business. And, if any-one wanted them to move, an 'Excuse Me' would have served...

I silently waved to their nearest 'distancing' sign. And to all the others posted around the bus station. And to the 'gap' floor markings. The couple grabbed their bags, scooted behind a nearby pillar, clearing the path, but swearing like fish-wives as they went...

[RICHFL]

I do have fears.
1. After all is said and done the government's of the world will continue to use the powers we the citizens have given them during this emergency. Right to assemble, freedom of speach, freedom of religion, etc. "Power corrupts and total power totally corrupts..." .

2. People lost jobs and have no income, business closed, the economy froze, how do we get back to where we were on 1 Jan 2020. Will this become the next great depression????

3. A mutated Cov-19 has started in China. Three major cities are locked down again, over 200 million people are involved. This mutation is deadlier and transmits via airborne means among others. So here we go again. Just like the Spanish Flu of 1918.

[Nik]

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-05-australians-dont-difference-viral-bacterial.html

Fair-use quote, much more in linked article:

92% of Australians don't know the difference between viral and bacterial infections

by Paul De Barro, The Conversation

We are four months into a global virus outbreak, and public health awareness could well be at an all-time high. Which is why it is astonishing to discover that 92% of Australians don't know the difference between a viral infection and a bacterial one.

The statistic comes from a survey carried out by CSIRO in March to inform our work on the OUTBREAK project—a multi-agency mission aimed at preventing outbreaks of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.

Our survey of 2,217 people highlights a disturbing lack of knowledge about germs and antibiotics. It reveals 13% of Australians wrongly believe COVID-19, a viral disease, can be treated with antibiotics, which target bacteria.

More than a third of respondents thought antibiotics would fix the 'flu or a sore throat, while 15% assumed antibiotics were effective against chicken pox or diarrhoea.

While 25% of those surveyed had never heard of antibiotic resistance, 40% admitted having taken antibiotics that didn't clear up an infection. And 14% had taken antibiotics as a precaution before travelling overseas, despite this being unnecessary and ineffective for warding off holiday ailments.
/

nik-snark:
So, must wonder, what are the corresponding figures for 'Heads of State' and social media mega-gurus AKA 'Twitterati' ??
/

[Nik]

"Or their kids' expensive college bars them on safety grounds ??"

Been a while, but my City Uni required a TB check before admission. ( IIRC, still does.)
Never mind I had a 'Classic' adolescent BCG scar on my arm, if I'd later had even mild measles, I might have lost my resistance...

( 'Correlation does not prove Causation', but turns out that epidemiological 'rule of thumb' had a basis in fact: Recent work has shown Measles really may re-set parts of immune system's 'memory'. Measles is not just nasty, it is a saboteur, too.. )

Anyhow, I was waiting for my check-up when a student comes out of clinic in floods of tears. He's an A++ over-achiever, fast-tracked onto a limited-place 'premier' course. He has a full scholarship, full funding, the 'whole nine yards', you could say.

But he's just learned he's a 'TB Carrier'. So, he must take a truck-load of ghastly meds. And, he must be quarantined, take a gap-year. He can't go back to college to stay sharp while adding a fun 'side', perhaps a couple of 'minors'. He can't even go to a library. He must go home and sulk in 'solitary'...

( And 'Community Epidemiology' track+trace+test team will become part of his extended family for the next decade... )

Oh, and he must re-apply, re-qualify for both his grant and scholarship, versus the next crop of 'fresh off the press' students...

[Nik]

As the data comes in, I'm beginning to fear stupidity more than the virus itself.

If 'Due Care', testing and tracing can hold the 'R' value below one (1), the current epidemic will slowly die out.. Hopefully, no more than hot-spots will linger until a vaccine comes along...

With caveat that as-yet minor mutations are beginning to accumulate in both Covid 'A' and 'B' strains, such that a cocktail may be required...

But, stupidity...


Passports ??
Those originated as a way to prove the port you came from was not under quarantine. Hence pass-port. Else, you were stuck at the yellow-flagged quarantine mooring for 40 days...
Of course, if your destination had their doubts about your origin or contacts, they'd refuse to honour your pass-port...

( Shakespeare, 'Romeo & Juliet', when real-neat scheme falls foul of couriers' delay by quarantine due refused passport... )

If forward thinking, they might not just quarantine you, but supervise and treat you by what slowly became great ports' 'Schools of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine'...


'Social Freedom' ??
I'm reminded that US, Italy, France etc etc run on top-down 'Roman' rather than bottom-up 'Common' Law.
This is important, as 'Common Law' derived from local arrangements to regulate use of town or village 'Common Land', prevent a free-for-all.
Bear with me here...

Once upon a time, Able, Baker, Charlie and Dick each grazed their few sheep and milch-cow on their village 'Common Land'. There's enough fodder in a poor year, some surplus for hay in a good year. So, given a run of good years, Dick buys another milch-cow, sets it to graze. Seeing that cow getting fat, Charlie keeps one of the spring lambs he'd otherwise send to market, sets it to graze.Seeing that cow and sheep thriving, Baker adds a cow of his own. So, nagged, Able adds an animal of his own...

But, the next winter is long and harsh. The spring and summer are dank. The Common's grazing suffers. Any margin has been eaten by those extra animals, meaning they and most of the rest must be slaughtered early, leaving every-one much worse off than they began...

Which is the infamous 'Tragedy of the Commons', when individuals have insufficient regard for limited community resources...

Such as valuing their personal benefit over a virus-free environment...

Already, epidemiologists are beginning to fret about uptake of that still-hypothetical Covid vaccine. Given the number of people who shun MMR, BCG, seasonal 'flu, decadal pneumonia, tetanus etc etc vaccines, can we really, really expect them to embrace what may be annual boosters ??

And what of anti-vaxxers fury when their lack of a vaccination certificate bars them from aircraft, cruises, Disneyland, stadia, hotels & motels ?? Or their medical insurance rates spike ?? Or adjacent countries forbid entry ?? Or adjacent states ?? Or their kids' expensive college bars them on safety grounds ??

Who they gonna sue ? The venue ? The venue's insurance provider ? Or those purblind 'Social Media' mega-guru Twitterati they trusted above the WHO & CDC ??

And then there's the 'Foil Hat' brigade, who have some-how decided that Covid is spread via 5G network, trash cell poles...

{ Shakes head... }

D'uh...

[lover_m47]

I have little fear of the virus, I live on 23 acres with horses, donkey's and a girlfriend along with supplies to keep us looking good for a year. I'm surrounded by a national forest so I can continue riding my horses in literally the middle of nowhere, no humans. Do I miss a few things, yes, my real coffee creamer...lol Other than that I'm good, I picked a ranch with solitude in mind for a reason. I also don't have any contingency plans, no need, I feel safe. I'm not sure which side is lying, but until I understand this "thing" better or it goes away, I am NOT poking my head up. In my opinion, life is sweet....Be safe everyone.

[Wolfman Jack]

I wouldn’t say I have absolute fear of the virus, but I do loathe the stupid sheeple who will believe everything the government says about this crisis

[Armyjimbo]

OK serious time here. The biggest fear is that nothing will change, that after this it will go back to the way it was. theres all this talk of globalism and how its good, but it points out that as we have become a more global economy , we become dependent on somebody else. As countries this should not be the case . The issue is shown right now when DT says 3M you should not be selling masks to Canada , you should be keeping it all here in the nation. Fine and dandy but remembering it can boomerang Canada could retaliate then where does it leave us?
The elites who say theres nothing to fear , and preppers are crazy, guns should not be owned by civilians, etc. The NANNY STATE that is the promised land of the SJW's ANTIFA, etc, that they are trying to force down our throats sickens me. I thought that self reliance was part of our core values is being pushed to the side by people that say that its wrong the state WILL take care of us. Well it has shown it can't. RANT OVER

[Morgan101]

Now that this has lasted as long as it has for me new fears have come up. I am very concerned about the civil liberties that have been destroyed. Will we get them back? I also fear that this new rate of unemployment will last for a very long time. Who knows how many companies will not survive this, and will never come back? Virtually every company that has let people go will find many of those people are no longer needed. They will go on with what they have. IMHO we have not seen the worst of this, nor have we seen the last.

[Armyjimbo]

That the walking zombies won't come . I mean no shooting various brain dead mouth breathers. Or maybe my biggest letdown.

[Cedar]

I have someone who is riding out the pandemic storm with my daughter and me. I am glad he is here (just a friend), as he is another pair of eyes, and in general a very large man on the premises, wont mess with the residents of the property, as they more likely would with a small woman and a 10 year old child.

The friend as been more lax about what self-isolation means, as his son does come to my gate , and is closer to my friend than I care, and the son is not self isolating, but not partying it up either.

We are pretty self sufficient here for about 6 to 8 months, and we stocked up his sons place about 8 weeks ago, as teaching him how to prep, not just because of the pandemic. I am.not sure exchanging vehicles with the son's friends in it for my friends vehicle just to change out a stereo was a risk we need to take.

I wont say I am high risk, but I am prone to Bronchitis that can last for months, and I have had pneumonia. Like yesterday, the only thing we have ran out of in the 3 weeks of self isolating was 3inch deck screws (all the projects we have been building - I should have has 25lbs). I preordered and paid by phone, and the building supply guys, set them on the sidewalk for me to get.

My daughter and I are used to being solidarity from having lived remote, but my friend isnt used to.not going to work or socializing , so I know it has been difficult for him. We have been keeping busy building huge chick brooders, raised 4x16ftx4fttall potato beds, other raised beds, bee hive stands for 11 hives, finally hooking up the 45wt ham radio, etc to.keep him busy during the day... we change it up at night before he heads out to the little cabin he lives in on my property... after dinner we play board gamed or watch a movie. We went on a 3 hr hike across from my driveway on the logging roads over there.

In my SHTF scenario, I never figured one of my "tribe" would be hard to wrangle for self isolating, so currently that is my only fear.

[ZAGran]

Stupid unthinking people.