Should non-essential gatherings be shut down to slow down COVID-19?

[GoTfan]

Until disease experts say yes, the answer should be no.

[Progressive Pessimist]

No. Not in the United States, at least. Coronavirus should be taken seriously, but we're not to the point where society needs to cease functioning over it.

Just wash your f***ing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and don't go out in public if you feel like you have any of the symptoms. Hopefully the burden will shift away from private citizens to contain the virus when (or if) our federal government finally gets its s*** together.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

Not yet, especially off of the West Coast.  People were probably feeling too complacent 7-10 days ago, but now the general feeling is too panicked, at least on the internet.  Most people I actually know offline are probably still a tiny bit complacent though.

There are zero confirmed cases in three-quarters of the states in this country.  Let's not overreact just yet.  Also, this isn't an airborne Ebola, like you would think from some reactions, but a disease that is slightly more severe than influenza.  The likely scenario is something like the minor flu pandemics of the 1950s and 1960s- worse than the swine flu, but nothing resembling the Spanish Flu.

[It’s so Joever]

Let's cancel the primaries too.

Trump deserves a third therm!

Even better, let’s remove Trump and all his lackeys from office for his incompetent response.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Peaceful assembly > interwebs fearmongering

[Former Dean Phillips Supporters for Haley (I guess???!?) 👁️]

Peaceful assembly > interwebs fearmongering

So if you or someone you know gets infected and has a severe/critical case and the health care system is running out of ventilator capacity, I presume you will be glad to let me have your ICU bed/ventilator.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Peaceful assembly > interwebs fearmongering

So if you or someone you know gets infected and has a severe/critical case and the health care system is running out of ventilator capacity, I presume you will be glad to let me have your ICU bed/ventilator.

Sure, since there is a 98% chance the infection won't kill me. Enjoy living in fear in a bubble until then.

[Cokeland Saxton]

Heck no. That would be an extreme overreaction.

[Santander]

Peaceful assembly > interwebs fearmongering

So if you or someone you know gets infected and has a severe/critical case and the health care system is running out of ventilator capacity, I presume you will be glad to let me have your ICU bed/ventilator.

Sure, since there is a 98% chance the infection won't kill me. Enjoy living in fear in a bubble until then.

A 2% mortality rate means we will all have people we love and care about die, if enough people get infected. (the Spanish flu "only" had a 2% mortality rate, heavily skewed towards children and the elderly, like most diseases) Not to mention the economic impact of people becoming sick and associated anxiety.

[Storebought]

People thinking that just because China hasn't recorded a new infection recently after bringing entire provinces under quarantine for two months means that the epidemic will naturally just die down everywhere else is absolute nonsense, the worst kind of magical thinking.

[Skill and Chance]

I think Seattle and the Bay Area of NorCal should strongly consider it. 

Doing it nationwide or statewide anywhere other than maybe Washington State would be excessive at this time.   

[parochial boy]

Pandemics are something that blindly obviously require a concerted government directed response in order to manage. Therefore, in line with the spotless logic that everything government does is bad, the risks presented by this pandemic must clearly be being massively overhyped. And it's not even a pandemic to begin with.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

I don't care if I am infected, I am going to two basketball sessions a weekend for the next month. People will be in the streets protesting in even greater masses if you don't let us inside.

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

Not in every state, yet, but I think the government will have to do it, eventually. Mainly, to send the signal. It will change people's behavior in many ways and make them more aware of the seriousness of the situation.

[GP270watch]

Mayor of Austin shuts down SXSW.