Social-distancing” is the phrase of the day, and what it pretty much means is staying away from people while America shuts down, the economy gets clobbered and death seeks out at a million, maybe 2 million of us. The issue is coronavirus, the fear is contagion and a primary solution is surcease of human contact to the extent of no more sporting events, church services, restaurant visits, school attendance, parades, weddings or even shaking hands.
To top it off, there has been a toilet paper panic, not a historically recognized signal of the end days, but I keep thinking that, in my whole life, I have never seen anything quite like this. Yes, there have been assassinations, race riots, mass murders, terrorist attacks, recessions and more, but not the virtual closure of society. And yes, the 9/11 terrorist attack spurred similar apprehension and confusion but it didn’t get quite so personal for most of us, as in being advised not to leave your house.
Follow advice
The virus appeared from nowhere, well, from China, and some people said from the beginning it could be a horror and others said, oh, not all that much, something less even than the flu, although flus kill thousands. Then it became worse and hit Iran and Italy especially hard. Medical scientists informed us that it is highly contagious but mostly mild except for the elderly and people with underlying conditions. For them it can be deadly. So wash your hands, don’t touch your face, stay away from any crowd larger than 10 people and consider isolation a virtue.
Some have paid little attention to all of this, especially young people liking to party and knowing they are largely safe except that they can become infected and kill the innocent with a sneeze. But wait a minute. Recent info says the younger crowd can be in danger, too.
