My daughter in law is from Riccione in Italy and her parents and siblings still live there. She talks to them every day via Skype and gets a pretty much first hand account of the difficulty a country has in containing this virus. While it is not life threatening to most, it is easily spread to all. The hospitals are full in Italy, the country in completely shut down and isolated as they try to control the spread. They have even put restrictions on how close you can sit to another diner in a public restaurants. Most public venues are ghost towns and most residents are hunkered down at home. You can trust one thing. It will get worse here in the states before it gets better and the disruptions to public life will become more intrusive, but it has to be done.

Probably 5th grade education. Which is why it's amazing to me people are still saying the problem here is not a dangerous easily spread virus, but the media. John is right, this too shall pass, but the next 3-6 months are likely going to be challenging.

At my wife's place of work they have eliminated all but one entry into the building.
You now have to fill out a form to get in and entry can be denied.
She works in a hospital.

We need the truth, not political propaganda. Truth, as we know it, is not absolute but changes as the science progresses but it is the best we have. It is not responsible for the politicians to stretch the truth to prop up the markets. Sometimes we think we know intuitively, when we are just guessing usually based on some bias. We all have our bias, even scientist, but the intellectually honest are able to separate their bias out of their conclusions. Hopefully this will not be as bad as it might be but we need to be reasonably prepared for whatever eventuality.

Are you Billy Madison?

I think you are absolutely right. But some who are intelligent enough are very closed minded and will not allow the facts to counter their strong bias. We seem to be in a time where people generally have become less flexible in their thinking.

Who is that?

Alvarado ISD closed

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo canceled. Those of you with school-aged kids better be preparing to work from home, because it is inevitable.

As someone who jokes about almost everything I understand those who are trying to make light of a heavy topic.
Many here have yet to be affected and I hope they never are.
This morning after taking my 18 year old daughter for an eye exam we stopped by the nursing facility where my mother is. We were denied access. I called my dad thinking he would still be able to see his wife of 61 years.
No.
The facility had just called him and informed him that at the urging of the federal government they weren't allowing any visitors for the foreseeable future.
I had already begun feeling sorry for myself because I have never been denied access to my mother in my lifetime.
As soon as I found out that my dad couldn't see her either my sorrow was overwhelmed by the sorrow I felt for him. I can't imagine how hard this is for him.

My Mom's in a home and I expect them to cut off access to visitors at any minute. I joke around a lot, too. Icepick. But the time for joking about Covid-19 is over. No one will be joking about it in a couple more weeks.