Anyone concerned about the Coronavirus in WDW ?

[Wendy31]

Sick people go about their lives because some of them don't have the privilege to stay home and just not go to work.

I realize that.

But, in every single one of my examples (except for maybe the sick grandson if his grandmother was the only option), the sick person’s contact w/ the general public could have, if not been eliminated, at least lessened.

If sick people just went to work, that’d be one thing.

But sick people go to parties & to the mall & to amusement parks & to the grocery store & to school & church functions. Sick people touch babies & visit people at hospitals.

 

[HopperFan]

Yep. I have been thinking about this. If it was first detected in China in December there is no way in my mind that it hasn't already been here in this country for a while now. I am definitely more worried about the long term financial impact of this.

According to sources working on it here at CDC, Emory and private non-profit trying to develop drug .... it’s been in China a YEAR. They were keeping it as quiet as they could until a doctor got the info out. It’s surely been here for awhile. The plus is I think for many reasons many won’t be affected by it medically. We live different here.

Agree the concern is financial. It’s a shame it’s being so brushed off - def better ways to handle this to be proactive on many fronts.

 

[Brianstl]

I just find this all so weird. Hearing the criticisms far and wide about how China mishandled the Coronavirus from the beginning as far as sharing information, and taking precautions to stop it from spreading. But then once the info was "out there", it just seems like all of the countries criticizing them (including ours) didn't do a whole lot to prepare or prevent either, with about a month's advance notice, did they? Am I missing something? They have told us that it spreads via respiratory droplets that can spray more than 6 feet from an infected person, but tell us our best defense is to "wash our hands". I guess "don't breathe in public" doesn't work very well lol, but really, just "wash your hands" and hope for the best? And then telling travelers who returned from infected areas to "self quarantine", what does that even mean? I hear of all these college kids returning from trips overseas and having to quarantine, where are they doing this? In their dorms where they share public bathrooms?

China deserved all the blame they get for this. It would have been much easier to contain the virus to a small number of people in Wuhan if they would have listened to their medical professionals in Wuhan and acted quickly instead of throwing them in jail for spreading false rumors to meant to hurt the communist government. Viruses like this are much harder to contain after they have gotten a month and half head start not only spread in China, but around the world. Immediate action on China's part would have given the rest of the world at least a six week head start to prepare for the virus.

 

[thelastxwaltz]

I am bothered by the number of people who say "meh, it's just like the flu.. I travel during flu season and that's an acceptable risk, so this is too." They do not close down entire cities due to the flu (in recent history). They do not impose mandatory quarantines due to the flu. They do not airlift citizens out of a flu-infected area. And yet, government officials all over the world who are receiving the best information from their top scientists are imposing these measures. Why would countries like China and Japan close down entire towns, close down schools for months, if it was "no big deal" and "just like the flu"?

The difference is not because the flu has a vaccine. Outside of the U.S., lots of people do not regularly get flu vaccines. In England, for instance, the flu vaccine only is recommended for the elderly, the very young, or those at risk. So the presence (or lack thereof) of a vaccine is not the sole determining factor.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

According to sources working on it here at CDC, Emory and private non-profit trying to develop drug .... it’s been in China a YEAR. They were keeping it as quiet as they could until a doctor got the info out. It’s surely been here for awhile. The plus is I think for many reasons many won’t be affected by it medically. We live different here.

Agree the concern is financial. It’s a shame it’s being so brushed off - def better ways to handle this to be proactive on many fronts.

There's more people working on it.

One of the other large Universities in my state (K-State) announced a few days ago "researchers with the school have been granted money to develop antiviral drugs to treat various human coronaviruses, including Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and the newly emerging COVID-19. A team of virologists and a medicinal chemist have been using a National Institutes of Health grant to work on treating norovirus and recently were granted another $3.7 million to work on the coronaviruses. A new license agreement between the university and Cocrystal Pharma Inc., could develop antiviral therapeutics to fight the viruses."

 

[Hikergirl]

So the positive patient that was released by the CDC in San Antonio went to the mall for 2 hours after and a local hotel.
And some think it would be better if we had gov't run healthcare

They are saying the risk is low, but given how fast it has spread in other countries I have my doubts about that.

 

[Searc]

I realize that.

But, in every single one of my examples (except for maybe the sick grandson if his grandmother was the only option), the sick person’s contact w/ the general public could have, if not been eliminated, at least lessened.

If sick people just went to work, that’d be one thing.

But sick people go to parties & to the mall & to amusement parks & to the grocery store & to school & church functions. Sick people touch babies & visit people at hospitals.

For the vast majority of people, myself included, life doesn't stop because of sickness. "Sick" people could have nothing more than a cold or an upset stomach caused by something they ate. I'm not about to castigate someone for continuing to live their life instead of swooning on the couch.

 

[katie01]

China deserved all the blame they get for this. It would have been much easier to contain the virus to a small number of people in Wuhan if they would have listened to their medical professionals in Wuhan and acted quickly instead of throwing them in jail for spreading false rumors to meant to hurt the communist government. Viruses like this are much harder to contain after they have gotten a month and half head start not only spread in China, but around the world. Immediate action on China's part would have given the rest of the world at least a six week head start to prepare for the virus.

I get what you are saying, and I'm definitely not arguing that had China taken immediate action, it could have stopped this. But what I'm confused by, is that we HAVE had at least 6 weeks notice now, and I haven't really seen or heard of effective measures taking place to stop what's already taken root here, have we? I just saw the headline that another 4 have died of COVID in WA state. But have they banned travel in and out of the state? (maybe they have, I don't know)

 

[gwynne]

So the positive patient that was released by the CDC in San Antonio went to the mall for 2 hours after and a local hotel.
And some think it would be better if we had gov't run healthcare

They are saying the risk is low, but given how fast it has spread in other countries I have my doubts about that.

Oh my!

 

[Kennywood]

 

[Searc]

I get what you are saying, and I'm definitely not arguing that had China taken immediate action, it could have stopped this. But what I'm confused by, is that we HAVE had at least 6 weeks notice now, and I haven't really seen or heard of effective measures taking place to stop what's already taken root here, have we? I just saw the headline that another 4 have died of COVID in WA state. But have they banned travel in and out of the state? (maybe they have, I don't know)

Practically speaking, it would be impossible to ban travel in and out of any state.

 

[SaintsManiac]

View attachment 478278

I can think of more terrifying words, but I’ll stop there.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

I just got back from Costco. It was empty. They did put out more towels. But otherwise I noticed no difference than going at this time of day. Far more busy during the holidays.

But the US is a huge country. I expect regional differences.

Same for me here in SE Michigan. Just returned home from Target and Kroger and everything was totally normal. No shortage of water, canned goods, sanitizer or anything else.

 

[skyblue17]

So the positive patient that was released by the CDC in San Antonio went to the mall for 2 hours after and a local hotel.
And some think it would be better if we had gov't run healthcare

They are saying the risk is low, but given how fast it has spread in other countries I have my doubts about that.

Don't pull a muscle stretching.

 

[katie01]

Practically speaking, it would be impossible to ban travel in and out of any state.

Then essentially we aren't going to be able to stop or slow this, are we? I believe I heard that the virus didn't spread IN China beyond Wuhan, does anyone else recall hearing that? It just spread to other countries from people traveling in and out of Wuhan, correct? So they are seeing a slow down in China itself, but if the rest of the world can't or won't limit travel, when does it end? WIth a vaccine? Like so many others have said, I fear it's going to wipe out the elderly population as well as other people in need of medical treatment who won't have the beds, supplies, or personnel to treat them

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

China deserved all the blame they get for this. It would have been much easier to contain the virus to a small number of people in Wuhan if they would have listened to their medical professionals in Wuhan and acted quickly instead of throwing them in jail for spreading false rumors to meant to hurt the communist government. Viruses like this are much harder to contain after they have gotten a month and half head start not only spread in China, but around the world. Immediate action on China's part would have given the rest of the world at least a six week head start to prepare for the virus.

In theory yes but in practice, no. I’ve been following the news about this virus since it first appeared and I knew it was going to be a problem here yet everyone I know kept wondering why since only a tiny number of people had it in China and the flu kills x many people every year blah blah blah. When the numbers are small enough to realistically have a shot at containment, all you get is people chiding others for panicking and explaining that we need to live our lives until there’s something to panic about. Problem is by the time there’s something to panic about it’s far too late. No one in this country wants their lives, their vacations, the economy disrupted when only a few dozen cases are known. This country was vulnerable to a spread no matter what. It’s here and it’s been here.

 

[Jen81NYC]

So the positive patient that was released by the CDC in San Antonio went to the mall for 2 hours after and a local hotel.
And some think it would be better if we had gov't run healthcare

They are saying the risk is low, but given how fast it has spread in other countries I have my doubts about that.

If we had government guaranteed healthcare and consistent paid sick leave in the US, people in lower earning jobs (like in the service industry) would have the ability to stay home and take care of themselves rather than working through it and spreading it out of fear of losing their job, they'd be able to proactively go to the Dr because they have health insurance rather than waiting until they're at their sickest and they wouldn't generally be terrified of incurring thousands of dollars in medical bills even when the government is the entity mandating the testing and quarantine. Mock the CDC and gov healthcare all you want but our current system's failings will absolutely exacerbate any pandemic.

 

[RamblingMad]

Then essentially we aren't going to be able to stop or slow this, are we? I believe I heard that the virus didn't spread IN China beyond Wuhan, does anyone else recall hearing that? It just spread to other countries from people traveling in and out of Wuhan, correct? So they are seeing a slow down in China itself, but if the rest of the world can't or won't limit travel, when does it end? WIth a vaccine? Like so many others have said, I fear it's going to wipe out the elderly population as well as other people in need of medical treatment who won't have the beds, supplies, or personnel to treat them

China locked itself down. Do you expect the US to do the same?

It’s growth rate is about 1%, so this is just the beginning.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

Then essentially we aren't going to be able to stop or slow this, are we? I believe I heard that the virus didn't spread IN China beyond Wuhan, does anyone else recall hearing that? It just spread to other countries from people traveling in and out of Wuhan, correct? So they are seeing a slow down in China itself, but if the rest of the world can't or won't limit travel, when does it end? WIth a vaccine? Like so many others have said, I fear it's going to wipe out the elderly population as well as other people in need of medical treatment who won't have the beds, supplies, or personnel to treat them

Similar to the flu it’s not likely to “end”. Eventually a vaccine will be developed which hopefully will help to slow the spread. But, like the flu, this is something I would expect to come back seasonally every year. I find it hard to believe it’s not already widespread here in the US. It’s just not realized yet because we haven’t been testing for it until now. But if it has in fact already spread here, the good news is that the vast majority who have it aren’t sick enough to seek medical attention and are recovering just fine.

 

[daraweb]

How likely and in what situation do you think WDW would close?

I understand that the ones that have closed in Asia are not run by Disney. Just wondering people's thoughts on this.
THANKS!