Buzz, one thing we do know NOW is hospitals in outbreak areas are overwhelmed right now. To stop other areas going the same way, we have lockdown.

We have a virus circulating that we still don't know a whole lot about, what we do know is it is similiar to SARS and MERS, since it comes from the same family of viruses as they do and causes similiar symptoms, but with a higher infectivity rate and lower fatality rate. Given that, the measures taken so far seem prudent. Better safe than sorry.

Folk need to remember that the people dying face down on hospital beds suffocating as their lungs decay aren't just numbers. They meant something to some people. And for a lot of people they don't want themselves or those they care about to die that way.

You keep arguing that these measures are extreme because we don't know enough. If we wait until we know enough it's potentially catastrophically late.

Some in here need to chill out and stop being so aggro when people disagree with them. Can have different opinions without resorting to just hurling insults at people and can debate without trying to run the other person down as you do it.

Also, for those citing "science" for everything just keep in mind that "science" isn't definitive. One learned person's take may differ wildly from the other - that's normal.

I see folk not just here but in the news now wondering if lockdowns are an overreaction. I also, see them still comparing death rates with he flu or other "influenza like" diseases. The key issue is, and always has been, health care and death management capacity. Most countries don't really have much extra headroom and this disease is leading to an additional spike in deaths on top of all those that normally occur.

For those citing the health of the economy: I can't imagine it would do that great if a brand new virus tore through the populations of the developed world rapidly with much more massive spikes in hospitalisations all over the place. Seems like the choice is fuck the economy and save lives or fuck the economy and lose more lives.

I'm not worried so much about myself, my worry is I could potentially spread it to my elderly relatives.

Comparing it with the flu isn't right - it's not the real issue, although it has a greater chance of causing complications than the flu does and appears to be more infectious. The real issue is the strain it puts on health services (number of beds, number of ventilator machines etc.) and the spike in those needing hospital care that is outside the norm of what all organisations would typically forecast.

So I am going to a show in the UK and a show in the US and I gotta say... you guys in the US get shafted on these ticket prices and these "service fees".

£280 total for two tickets in the pit in front of the stage in the UK, roughly $365 - still a lot of money but not too bad.
$616 total ($112 of which was "service fees") for two tickets in a seated section behind the pit, roughly £472. Total joke. Would have been same price for the pit but they sold out ridiculously fast.