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Re:Harvard epidemiologist: my colleagues assumed UK coronavi... by massysett on Sunday March 15, 2020 @04:59PM (#22586709)
No, it means don't go to football matches. Don't go to cinema. Don't go to a convention. Don't ride on a train for a leisure trip. That the distancing can't be done 100% perfectly does not mean that all distancing is worthless and therefore that NO distancing should even be attempted. Even slowing the spread of the illness may be worthwhile.
Re:Harvard epidemiologist: my colleagues assumed UK coronavi... by jrochkind1 on Sunday March 15, 2020 @05:05PM (#22586753)
Don't go over to friends houses?

I am getting mixed messages, I'm not sure why I think asking for another opinion on the internet will help, but there it is.

Re:Harvard epidemiologist: my colleagues assumed UK coronavi... by baq on Sunday March 15, 2020 @05:26PM (#22586908)
you want to be a part of this effort? don't go.
Re:Harvard epidemiologist: my colleagues assumed UK coronavi... by spookthesunset on Sunday March 15, 2020 @05:48PM (#22587106)
Link to an established authority saying not to occasionally visit friends or you are spreading panic.
Re:Harvard epidemiologist: my colleagues assumed UK coronavi... by jrochkind1 on Sunday March 15, 2020 @06:17PM (#22587330)
It's not that it's necessarily "spreading panic" but that "believe whoever you want on the internet" is not an effective public health communications strategy.

But that appears to be what we've got.

The shaming approach of "you want to be part of this effort?" (whatever that means) is unlikely to be an effective communications strategy either.

I don't know why I asked, I already had my choice of various opinions on the internet (usually given from a position of moral superiority and judgement).

I seriously don't understand why the U.S. public health infrastructure is failing so horribly here; if you want to maximize compliance, it seems obvious that you should be giving consistent and pervasive instructions, there should be literally a planned "marketting" campaign, with a consistent message. If people are getting different messages from different places of course they will be confused and compliance will be less.

Instead, we have "which chain letter on facebook and/or shaming and blaming comment on HN does my gut tell me seems right?" What the fuck America.

Re:Harvard epidemiologist: my colleagues assumed UK coronavi... by baq on Sunday March 15, 2020 @06:25PM (#22587389)
i'll clarify: the effort in question is to stop being a potential carrier of a novel disease for which nobody is immune for and thus has potential to put great many people in a hospital for weeks at a time putting strain onto a system which is hardly idle. you might catch the virus and probably won't be able to tell the difference from common cold or flu. somebody you meet might end up intubated and anesthesiologically paralyzed for a week. or dead.

so don't go if you don't want to be that person.

Re:Harvard epidemiologist: my colleagues assumed UK coronavi... by baq on Sunday March 15, 2020 @05:50PM (#22587131)
italian and spanish prime ministers good enough for you? don't have better at hand, sorry