Absolutely insane. You can take precautions sure, even I am. We don't know how this "new" virus is going to act, but acting as though we have to be 6 ft away from everyone including family members is absolutely insane.
That's your subjective opinion. Just because you do not value taking any precautions to stop the spread because you do not take it seriously, like some nut jobs on here who think every pandemic is a "hoax" do, doesn't mean others do not. Many people who mocked and made fun of others getting sick didn't take it seriously until they got sick as well. And no, those are not even the guidelines. People are asked to keep six feet or so away from others in public areas. That isn't as necessary if people are living together and are quarantining together.
Plus this is not the first time we've had bad flu and cold years and yet here we are "sheltering in place".
Thats a silly argument. We have had many 'light pandemics', but we also have major pandemics every century or so and we are currently long over do for one. And we don't know exactly which one will come out of the blue and be the next major pandemic that kills tens of millions. People in charge of public health cannot afford to not take every pandemic seriously because they do not know when the next Spanish Flu or Bubonic plague will be, etc. But again, the total deaths is just one major problem. The economic harm also cannot be afforded by such events as these.
Flattening the curve just burdens the hospitals for longer period of time thus completely exhausting employees and resources. There is no proof quarantining the entire world will stop this virus. It will be there once you come out of your house again. So good luck being fearful for just right now, you won't be able to go back to your normal life ever again if you really fear these viruses.
Now you're just talking nonsense. There is plenty of 'proof.' Some countries which took the most extreme measures were able to lower the spread significantly. South Korea has tested more than 270,000 people, which amounts to more than 5200 tests per million inhabitants—more than any other country except tiny Bahrain.
The country seems to have greatly slowed its epidemic and it has done so without locking down entire cities or taking some of the other measures that China had to take. They took it seriously and their hospitals, while greatly impacted, are not overburdened near the degree that they would have been or that Italy or some other countries are. Now contrast that to Italy, which did not take the pandemic as seriously and, as a result, whose hospital system is possibly on the verge of a collapse in many parts because they have a shortage of doctors and supplies and are resorting to choosing to treat younger people and leave some elderly to die. Both events played out very differently for both countries because of the actions taken and not taken. Spain is also in a similar situation to Italy due to their leaders incompetence. The pandemic has still hit South Koreas hospitals hard, but they are doing better than Italy and Spain at the moment because they took action.
If you don't want to be 'fearful', then go ahead and not take it seriously. I don't feel sorry for those who get sick because they chose to. But don't act like your actions won't possibly lead to spreading it to a person with health issues or an elderly person and them getting critically ill or dying. Having to wear a mask when I go out, keep my distance, and not go to non-essential places until it blows over for a few months isn't the end of the world and really doesn't bother me all that much. It's mainly people who are out of work that are most affected, but other than that, the following the guidelines for a few months isn't a big deal to me and is pretty reasonable. People are blowing it way more out of proportion than they need to. But again, not working is probably the biggest legitimate concern for those who cannot work from home, etc.
Models show that just a small increase in sick patients is enough to overwhelm the hospitals. Hospitals are well aware of what their capacity is to handle the total number of sick patients, so to 'flatten the curve' would mean less sick patients going in at the same period of time, so yes, it would be better, mathematically, to have any amount of less sick people. And yes, once again, while far from prefect, we do have proof that it helps with our Italy vs South Korea example. Even far less healthcare workers are getting sick there compared to Western countries. Quarantining is necessary in dropping the R0 value that is naturally so high, but it must be done in conjunction to medications that can be readily dispersed and testing.
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