Coronavirus could cause 'severe disruption' in America, CDC says

[left-of-center2012]

The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned that the coronavirus outbreak could cause “severe disruption” to the lives of ordinary Americans, and urged families and communities to start making preparations. “Ultimately, we expect we will see community spread in this country. It’s not so much a question of if this will happen any more, but rather more exactly when this will happen, and how many people in this country will have severe illness.”

In the absence of a vaccine or medicines, other methods would be needed to contain the spread of the disease, including possible school closures, and telecommuting where possible instead of travelling to workplaces. “I understand this whole situation may seem overwhelming, and that disruption to everyday life may be severe. But these are things that people need to start thinking about now,” Messonier said.

Jeremy Konyndyk, who led the Obama administration’s response to the Ebola outbreak in 2014, expressed alarm at the gulf between the Trump reassurances and the situation being presented by the president’s own officials. “The president’s overarching priority here seems to be much more about keeping the markets calm than taking every measure to keep Americans safe, and that worries me,” Konyndyk said. “And it also makes me wonder if they are leaving some [preventive] options on the table for fear of spooking the markets.”

The health and human services secretary, Alex Azar, asked for $2.5bn in emergency funding. He said the country currently has a stockpile of 30m surgical masks, but his department estimated that 10 times that number could be needed. Senators questioned the administration’s preparedness and pointed out that Azar himself had proposed drastic budget cuts. The Trump administration has also dismantled the office in the national security council that was set up in the wake of the Ebola virus scare to coordinate government responses to pandemics.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/25/coronavirus-outbreak-severe-disruption-america-cdc-united-states

[global1]

1. The CDC Currently Doesn't Have A Policy On Conventions/Meetings And Possible....

postponement or cancellation until we know more about how Covid-19 is transmitted.

Everyday around the country major conventions and meetings are being held with attendees coming in from around the world.

I'm concerned that nothing is being done to maybe minimize the spread of this virus by postponing or cancelling such meetings until we have more of a handle on transmission and spread of this virus.

Seems to me we should be taking precautions now about this. When we finally have a handle on transmission without taking precautions may be too late.