Covid-19

[JScott]

I agree Ray, that's a good point. Something I had not thought of.

[Leafmite]

Not sure what to think about this. The problem is, at this point, it is difficult to discern what will happen. Will this be handled well and our govt. start offering free drive through testing and other smart health-care incentives to help combat this or will it completely mess this up? The US has the advantage that the virus has come here later and our govt. has had more time to make plans and prepare for it. Now we just have to hope that they have spent that time wisely.

Our Orchid Society just had our show and I was very glad that it was now and not later. Orchid Society of Western Pa (Pittsburgh) has theirs next week so that should still be good but the West Shore Orchid Society (Strongsville Ohio) show, the largest in Ohio, is at the end of April so I am hoping that will go well for their society. Many in our society usually go and are very much looking forward to it (I won't be there this year as I have another gathering to attend...yeah, what is with all these gatherings?). I would hate to see that show cancelled. It is a great show and well worth attending.

Perhaps, if the show goes on, you could put hand sanitizer on the vendor tables and the entrance tables and hope for the best. If you cannot find enough hand sanitizer, fill small spray bottles with isopropyl alcohol. Maybe even have an extra volunteer holding the bottle and offering to get everyone's hands. Have disinfectant for pens (if you have drawings or other activities where people need to write).

The problem is, a person could catch this at the grocery store or anywhere else....

[Connie Star]

To start with, I am a medical doctor. I would wait a little bit to decide. Do you have COVID-19 in North Carolina yet? If not, I think it would be safe, assuming there is still none by the dates of your show. You could have hand sanitzer around, and ask anybody with cold or other symptoms not to enter. The disease does seem to have it's greatest risk for the elderly and infirm, and I would guess orchid growers tend to skew older. Part of the problem is that at this point we don't know the true danger from the virus because we have no idea what the denominator, or the true number of infected people is. It may be that it is circulating in much greater numbers than we know and therefore the mortality and severe illness rate is lower than it appears.
There is a lot of hysteria around this which is understandable given how little is known. Frankly at this point influenza seems to be a much greater risk. Our local orchid show was in February when the flu was circulating in Massachusetts in large numbers. Of course another factor is whether people will decline to come because of the virus. I'm glad I don't have to make the decision, but if I were in North Carolina I would come to the show, and I am 70.

[Dollythehun]

I had to laugh: Connie Star, do you consider 70 elderly?

I'd have your show and let people make their own decisions. Use extra sanitizer and whatever precautions seem prudent. I suppose I should worry more but I don't have the inclination.

[jmrathbun]

Coronavirus: NC governor declares state of emergency

[Ray]

The state of emergency isn’t because there is an overwhelming outbreak issue, he declared it to make it easier for municipalities to get funds for assistance in preparation.

[Orchid Whisperer]

The response to COVID-19 by the World Health Organization (WHO), Center for Disease Control (CDC), including a declaration of a global pandemic, is not "media hysteria". This is a genuine and rapidly growing health threat.

The risk to people over 60 is increased, and given the number of people interested in orchids that are in that age group, yes, IMO, the responsible option is delay public gathering until another (safer) time.

[rbarata]

My view on this matter is that all of us have their own share of responsability to avoid the spread, or at least contain it as possible.
This is a global issue, not only from China, Italy or North Carolina. It reached these proportions because people tend to keep their normal lives as long as possible, which is ok until a certain level is reached. But, given the proportions that we are seeing in the news, a new look is required.

[Dollythehun]

We've proceeded with caution here. Stocked up a little, washed our hands more often. We're not overly social people, so crowds aren't an issue. Personal responsibility and calm is all I have to offer. Serious, certainly, panic, no. If it's my time, it's my time. WW gets my orchids.

[AnonYMouse]

Originally Posted by rbarata

My view on this matter is that all of us have their own share of responsability to avoid the spread, or at least contain it as possible.

People are asymptomatic so keep in mind where you go, who and what you contact.

And stock up on toilet paper!

In all seriousness, what is it with the toilet paper? It's a respiratory illness.

---------- Post added at 04:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:12 PM ----------

There must be something different about this infection. We aren't playing the 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon with it. In the past few years, we had alerts about where a TB or Measles patient went unaware of their infection status. That's not happening.