@suteiki77 I am traveling next week with my 82 year old mother. I am not feeling too concerned. I am low on hand sanitizer for my handbag but otherwise not taking additional precautions.
Lots of lower airfare prices to the VI right now. I fly first class and prices are down by as much as $500 for some dates. Hotel prices aren’t reflecting that yet but I was thinking about contacting our favorite independently owned one because they often give discounts for loyal visitors.
I live in a city with some evacuees and suspect the virus will get out. I am not panicked, but do have two weeks worth of food in case we get quarantined. We are washing our hands and living healthy lives. If we get it, we are low risk. I am worried about my dad, however, who checks all the risk boxes. Thankfully he is a hand washer.
I just came back from an internal company meeting with about 1000 people from across the US and South America. I only saw a couple face masks on the planes, and fellow travellers seemed pretty blasé.
I recently added an N99 mask in my backpack in case somebody immediately adjacent to me on the plane was coughing and sniffling (omg that happens all the time!) but my concern there is more with colds and flu than coronavirus, tbh. Didn’t need it and everybody on the various planes seemed surprisingly healthy for the middle of cold and flu season. I also pack anti-bacterial wipes for the tray table.
There was a lot of discussion with my peers about when our company (we’re a very large international company) will shut down all travel. We were actually surprised they didn’t cancel this meeting. I have another customer trip to Denver next week that I’m not worried about.
…
The members of my parents’ church drink the communion grape juice out of a single silver cup. I did that all while growing up and don’t think I was ill more frequently because of the practice. But I’m wondering if they will keep doing it if things get worse.
I was wondering about transmission through feces. I thought it was more than through contaminated hands. Yup, here it is. Put down the seat before flushing.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/how-long-coronavirus-disinfecting-surfaces-203122530.html
As noted earlier, CDC is updating their official count on MWF, so they will always be behind local newscasts. (And given that it’s a weekend, I’m ok with their Comm office being closed.)
Some churches use communion spoons which are shared.
Coronavirus: don’t bank on epidemic easing in the summer, scientists say
Seasonal viruses tend to die off as the weather warms, but not enough is known about the new strain to assume it will react in the same way, experts say
Sars was brought under control in 2003 by an ‘extremely intense public health effort’, but it never disappeared, professor of epidemiology says
"Marc Lipsitch, a professor of epidemiology and director of the Centre for Communicable Disease Dynamics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in the United States, said it was a “prevailing misconception” that Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome) disappeared in the summer of 2003. “I think the word ‘disappear’ is a terrible word for what happened with Sars,” he said. “Sars was controlled by extremely intense public health efforts, heroic and perhaps unprecedented in modern times. It did not disappear at all.”
“We are not sure whether it (Covid-19) will recur, but with the differences in public health legislature, policies and patterns of human behaviour at the global level it will last for a while,” said Professor Emily Chan Ying-yang, a medical professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and a visiting professor at Oxford University.
Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Centre for Health Security in the US…“I suspect that this novel virus will become endemic …It may become the fifth seasonal coronavirus until a vaccine is developed,”…
For Lipsitch, the danger is assuming that Covid-19 is “just another type of flu”, as with an estimated mortality rate of about 2 per cent it is far more serious…“The 2009 flu pandemic killed something like less than one in a thousand of those who got sick. So two in a hundred is a very large difference.” “One is annoyance and the other one is catastrophe. Saying it [Covid-19] is like the flu is not helpful.”
Many other opinions in the article, some a little more optimistic.
They should make it wine. At least there would be a little alcohol content to kill germs. 
Oh, about domestic travel: I am still traveling. I saw four people with masks at DFW. Flights were full. There was not hand sanitizer out on the concourse, not that I saw. Back during the swine flu, there was hand sanitizer out at Houston Bush. airport. We will see how the situation changes over the next few weeks.
Sometimes, I wish our public health experts would not need to hype up the situation to get more funding.
I’m not. If they don’t want people to panic, being timely, honest and transparent is key.
Ha, they are teetotalers to the core. They would never consider using wine. They believe that a lot of the “wine” mr ruined in the Bible was unfermented. No comment from me or anyone else to avoid TOS violation!
Just read that the temperature of the water does not matter when washing hands but use soap and scrub for at least 20 seconds.
Speaking of religion, the pope still looks like he’s out of commission.
If he has COVID19 (big IF), that’s going to be an epicenter in and of itself. Especially since he was kissing and shaking hands on Ash Wednesday.
The Vatican is denying it. I hope he has gotten tested.
@doschicos thanks for that. I haven’t seen the denials just the “unwell” statements.
I worked in infectious disease research in big pharma for a long time. I have a healthy respect for viruses and not much confidence in people’s behavior in crisis situations.
All this to say - yes, I stocked up on staples at the grocery store today. I didn’t buy hand sanitizer (not a fan), but I noticed that there was no Purell anywhere. The stocker said they can’t keep it on the shelves.
Here’s a statement from our Episcopal diocese addressing communion and a host of other issues related to the Coronavirus:
February 28, 2020
A Statement from the Bishops of The Episcopal Church in Tennessee on the Coronavirus/Covid19
Dear Clergy and People of the Dioceses of East Tennessee, West Tennessee, and Tennessee,
We understand the news of the spread of the COVID19 virus (Coronavirus), on top of an already difficult flu season, raises concerns and anxieties. Our respective Dioceses are working together to stay informed and supportive of our faith communities across the state. As new information which may be helpful arises, we will post it on our websites and share it with our congregations. We are regularly reviewing guidelines and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as consulting local medical professionals. When you receive information about Coronavirus and other infectious diseases from the media and other sources please consider carefully whether the source of the information is trustworthy.
In the meantime, we commend these effective practices to you, especially to clergy in charge of congregations and those who may lead congregations in worship:
The most important way to minimize the spread of infectious diseases is for people who have symptoms such as fever, upset stomach, or frequent coughing or sneezing, to stay home and to seek medical attention as symptoms warrant. This includes clergy. Please notify the appropriate person at your congregation if you will miss a worship service or event so substitutes can be found. The clergy or lay ministers can bring the sacraments to those who cannot attend a service and/or provide pastoral care by phone as appropriate.
Frequent handwashing is another important way to minimize spread. Hands should be washed often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds (about as long as it takes to sing the Doxology). Handwashing is especially critical after going to the bathroom; before eating; after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing; or if hands are visibly dirty. Plenty of soap and paper towels should be provided in restrooms and kitchens. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Place containers of hand sanitizer in the pews, near doors, and beside tissue boxes to be used when handwashing is not readily available.
If an infectious disease, such as the flu or Coronavirus is spreading in your community, your congregational leadership may consider whether some or all of the following would be appropriate:
The Peace: You may want to invite worshipers to remain in their pews/seats and greet one another with a bow at the Peace, acknowledging each other while avoiding physical contact.
The Holy Eucharist: Receiving the sacrament in one kind has ancient precedent in our spiritual life. We believe that those who receive only the bread (or wine) have fully received. The bread may be distributed by Eucharistic ministers who have cleansed their hands. Ask the altar guild to clean handrails and the altar rail before and after each service.
Avoid Intinction: Because hands are a common source of infection, Intinction by the communicant is not a sanitary substitute for drinking from the chalice.
The Receiving Line: Following the service, the receiving line should include conversation but omit physical contact.
Coffee Hour: Food may be served by individuals who have washed their hands, put on serving gloves, and are using tongs to minimize the touching of food. Either paper plates and napkins or a dishwasher with a water temperature setting hot enough to kill germs should be used for cleanup. Similarly, beverages should be served by individuals who have washed their hands and are wearing gloves to minimize the number of people handling beverage containers.
Large gatherings or events: Consider rescheduling if possible or canceling if necessary.
Whatever steps are appropriate in your context, it is essential that you communicate your decisions to the congregation. Explain the steps you are taking and why. Clear and open communication can be both informative and calming.
My dermatologist trained me not to touch my face way back when I was a teenager. Who knew my attempts at minimizing acne would be the thing to save me in the apocalypse.
Kidding.