They are not making the pandemic worse, but the continuous 24/7 news and contradictory advice which some commentators are broadcasting is making people panic and stockpile unnecessarily. I don’t think it’s ignorance causing the panic, but fear.

@Marionville A technique used during wartime when broadcasting towards the enemy.
Right now it's not fear, but boredom, driving me nuts; and I've got a garden. I pity those folk in apartment blocks, not allowed to go out.

Must be something like that!

Much the way I feel too.

That is perhaps what makes them faithful in the first place.

Yes...this site and FaceTime will become my lifeline to the outside world if that becomes a reality!

I’ve plenty of old newspaper for that job!

...yes and the vino...must get stocked up!

When talking about the viability of the airborne virus, are you specifically talking about the coronavirus? I wasn't aware they had it fully characterized yet.

@itsmedammit The source (NPR? radio news interviewing a scientist) stated "virus" not specifically this strain of the corona-virus. Also, these experiments were in laboratory settings so they do not necessarily indicate -out in the wild circumstances (sunlight, wind, etc. . . ) It was loosely noted that sunlight may reduce the viability of a virus but we, at this time, just don't know about this specific strain.

@JohnnyQB On NBC tonight, there was a mention of two doctors in serious condition, but I can’t recall the area, might have been Washington state.

@itsmedammit The Uk government gave out the advice that, it has very short viablity in the open, less than 24 hours at most, but I do not know where that information originated from.

As far as I heard from informed, well informed sources that is, the self isolation period is 14 days thus far, NOT 14 weeks.

@Triphid No...you are wrong, we’re not talking about the advice to the general public, but specific advice for the elderly. it is definitely 14 weeks for those over 70 years! That was why I said yikes!

It is 14 weeks that they are advising the elderly to self isolate for...but we haven’t been told to do it yet...just a warning that it may be coming.

@Triphid No, the 14 weeks is the time the outbreak is expected to last, not the self issolating period. It is just a coincidence that they both happen to be fourteen. However if the measures to combat the outbreak put in place by many governments work, then they will probably prolong the outbreak and it will last a lot longer than 14 weeks.

And a low level of infection lasting longer, could in the end result in more people being infected, so that the measures being put in place by most governments, could make it worse in the long term. The only advantage being that the medical services will have less difficulty copping with the effects of a long slow outbreak.

@Fernapple The last I've been told is that the Pandemic will go much longer than 14 weeks, more than likely 6 months or more unless a viable vaccine is tested, proven safe and effective then released, posthaste, in quantities huge enough to immunise every person on the planet.

@Triphid, @Fernapple The truth of the matter is that nobody can predict exactly what length of time it will take...but different countries are at different stages of this pandemic..that is why we can’t have a universal strategy happening at the same in every country. I still think we are doing the right thing in the UK, our scientists and medical experts are looking at the specifics of our circumstances here in the UK and advising accordingly.

@Fernapple The other benefit of flattening the peak is that we have some potential treatments in the pipeline and something may be available for those affected later rather than sooner.

@Marionville Yes I agree.

@Marionville, @Triphid Oh even more than six months, it could hang arround for a couple of years in some corners of the world.