# Coronavirus COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) Thread - 2020 Breaking News **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [February 11, 2020, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758 "2020-02-11T01:16:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 26
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/502 "2020-03-10T18:44:15Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Well, first we need to manufacture enough masks for everyone to wear one when they go out. Masks only work for the people who are sick, to prevent it from spreading. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/503 "2020-03-10T18:48:40Z")
Here’s a further update (from today) on vaccines in development, including some timeline information: > **[COVID-19 Clinical Trials](https://www.contractpharma.com/contents/view_online-exclusives/2020-03-10/covid-19-clinical-trials/)** > > The vaccines in development for COVID-19, who's developing them, and where they stand in the development process The WHO page it references doesn’t add much. j ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/504 "2020-03-10T18:50:43Z")
Once Covid hits the immigration prisons, there will be a massive disaster. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/505 "2020-03-10T19:22:56Z")
Since I hear it all the time these days, what exactly is a “large” gathering that I should be avoiding? Is it approximately thirty people at my local game store? Going to the grocery store during peak hours? Any trip to a shopping mall? ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/506 "2020-03-10T19:26:38Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Once Covid hits the immigration prisons, there will be a massive disaster. Here you go: > [@](#): > > [Judges Were Told to ‘Remove’ CDC Coronavirus Warning Posters from Immigration Courts](https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/judges-were-told-to-remove-cdc-coronavirus-warning-posters-from-immigration-courts/) > by Colin Kalmbacher | 9:54 pm, March 9th, 2020 > > The Trump administration is taking actions that may contribute to the spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) among immigrant communities by way of immigration courts, according to the federally-designated collective bargaining group for immigration judges. > > Late Monday, the National Association of Immigrant Judges (NAIJ) said that officials with the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) are intentionally impeding messaging provided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that would otherwise reach immigrants currently in the immigration court system. > > “EOIR has ordered immigration court staff to remove CDC posters designed to slow spread of coronavirus,” the group noted via Twitter. “No, this is not a parody account.” > > The organization elaborated in a later tweet: > > NAIJ had recommended to immigration judges that they post in courthouses the English and Spanish language versions of the CDC’s “Stop the Spread of Germs” and “Symptoms of Coronavirus Disease 2019” posters. EOIR ordered that they be removed. ---
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/507 "2020-03-10T19:28:10Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Since I hear it all the time these days, what exactly is a “large” gathering that I should be avoiding? Is it approximately thirty people at my local game store? Going to the grocery store during peak hours? Any trip to a shopping mall? I suggest you don’t think about it in binary terms: ok - not okay. The larger the gathering the worse it is. Ideally, you would be alone isolated from everyone else, but that isn’t practical. The smaller the group the better. As the group size grows, the worse it is. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/508 "2020-03-10T19:28:25Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Princeton University is telling its students not to come back from spring break, classes will be handled online. > [Princeton University Cancels All In-Person Classes, Encourages Students to Stay Home After Spring Break](https://wpst.com/princeton-university-cancels-all-in-person-classes-encourages-students-to-stay-home-after-spring-break/) > > Fordham University has canceled classes. > [Coronavirus fears shut down Fordham University classes](https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-fordham-coronavirus-online-classes-20200309-5rxsghditvd4rcwpzniiiutz2q-story.html) Harvard University, now, too. They don’t want students coming back to Cambridge so they can “de-densify” the area. They’re supposed to attend on-line classes from their homes, if they can. I can’t search right now, so forgive me if this has been brought up. My wife was saying that some people have suggested using the Vulcan “Live Long and Prosper” salute in lieu of shaking hands. Evidently they really are suggesting this to Congress: [https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/10/politics/coronavirus-congress-precautions-greeting/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/10/politics/coronavirus-congress-precautions-greeting/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/509 "2020-03-10T19:35:52Z")
With all these University closings, maybe somebody is due to make a physics breakthrough. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/510 "2020-03-10T19:49:53Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Understandably. I hope that for you and your family the worst is two weeks of cabin fever. Thanks for the dose of common sense! ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/511 "2020-03-10T20:12:05Z")
Two confirmed cases at the hospital where I work. Fortunately I am not in patient care. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/512 "2020-03-10T20:18:09Z")
[New York State has established a one-mile containment area around a New Rochelle synagogue, the congregation of which accounts for nearly 62½% of all cases in the state.](https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/03/10/814099444/new-york-creates-containment-area-around-cluster-in-new-rochelle) ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/513 "2020-03-10T20:26:43Z")
All restaurants in Florence, Italy close at 5 or 6 pm it’s a ghost town out there! ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/514 "2020-03-10T20:27:33Z")
At least 44 people have died and hundreds hospitalized in Iran after drinking bootleg alcohol after claims that it would prevent coronavirus. > **[At least 44 dead from drinking toxic alcohol in Iran after coronavirus cure...](https://www.yahoo.com/news/least-44-dead-drinking-toxic-155009184.html)** > > A false rumor has circulated throughout Iran that alcohol can prevent the coronavirus. More than 40 have died and hundreds have been hospitalized. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/515 "2020-03-10T20:28:07Z")
My UU fellowship (in NC) has canceled all in-person events, including Sunday services. They’re going to be livestreamed for the foreseeable future. Other group meetings will be done via videoconferencing. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/516 "2020-03-10T20:52:25Z")
A couple days ago Austria’s chancellor gave a press interview in which he implied that the country, or parts of it, could go into lockdown in the same way as Italy. As of today the government has banned indoor events of more than 100 people and all outdoor events of more than 500 people and has ordered all universities to close by Monday. (So far schools and daycares have not been ordered to close, though there are rumblings that this could happen soon.) The border with Italy has been sealed; no one goes in or out except for medical emergencies. The director of my institute sent everyone an e-mail today saying that they can work from home if they want (though this is really a reminder, since that’s a standing rule) and that all internal and public meetings are cancelled until further notice. The free tabloids here are reporting panic buying and supermarket shelves sold out of goods, though I haven’t observed this except for face masks, hand sanitizers, and (sometimes) surface disinfectants. I’ve gone shopping every day in the past week and there are no frenzied crowds and still lots of toilet paper, paper towels, pasta, canned goods, and all the other items the tabloids claim are flying off the shelves. The organizers of the scientific conference I am scheduled to attend in northern Italy seem unperturbed. Unlike many other events in Europe that I was planning to attend, helping organize, or just following online, this one hasn’t been cancelled or postponed. In addition to the message I reproduced here earlier, the organizers have added a video proudly proclaiming that “Bologna is not stopping”. I’m not sure how realistic that is given that the entire country is effectively on lockdown, and I wouldn’t be able to travel there even if I wanted to. Maybe the organizers are hoping (not unrealistically, I suppose) that the situation will improve by June. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/517 "2020-03-10T21:04:50Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > At least 44 people have died and hundreds hospitalized in Iran after drinking bootleg alcohol after claims that it would prevent coronavirus. > [At least 44 dead from drinking toxic alcohol in Iran after coronavirus cure rumor](https://www.yahoo.com/news/least-44-dead-drinking-toxic-155009184.html) That is unbelievably tragic and sad news. I hope the perps are found, tried and, if convicted, suffer an appropriate punishment. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/518 "2020-03-10T21:19:29Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Masks only work for the people who are sick, to prevent it from spreading. It’s not that simple. There’s a thread here which discusses it: [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=890937](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=890937) The thread also contains some links to other people discussing it. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/519 "2020-03-10T21:27:03Z")
Whoa, a day after Indian Wells–an open-air event, in the desert–cancelled, Denver cancelled its St. Pat’s Day parade–also an open-air event. And yet, they did not cancel jury duty, NOT an open-air event, and my spouse had to show up there this morning. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/520 "2020-03-10T21:30:52Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > Whoa, a day after Indian Wells–an open-air event, in the desert–cancelled, Denver cancelled its St. Pat’s Day parade–also an open-air event. > > And yet, they did not cancel jury duty, NOT an open-air event, and my spouse had to show up there this morning. I’m supposed to go there May 1 for a huge conference that the organizers continue to insist will happen. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/521 "2020-03-10T22:42:07Z")
And the new word of the day is: DE-DENSIFICATION I read it for the first time in an article about Harvard telling its students to go home and stay home. I just read it in a text from my husband who is now de-densifying the horrible bench seating at his workplace. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758.md?page=25) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758.md?page=27)