Mod Note
Folks,
This thread exists because there is a worldwide public health crisis in progress, that impacts every one of our users. It has claimed over 170,000 lives worldwide as of this writing. As of last week, it was killing more people per week in the US than either heart disease or cancer, making it, for the moment, the leading cause of death in the country. This has been the death toll despite the distancing measures taken. Without those measures, the death toll would be far, far worse.
If you want to dispute any of these facts, it is time for you to leave this thread, or any others related to covid-19.
There's a bunch of stuff people normally do that drastically increases the spread of this disease, and thus the risk of death to a great many people. Gathering in large groups at this time, or engaging in "business as usual" at this time is a major public health hazard. If you dispute this, it is time for you to leave this thread.
Running out in the middle of busy, fast moving traffic will get you killed, and likely cause high-speed car collisions, possibly hurting or killing many people. It would be dumb to do this, and you should not be generally be allowed to do this, because of the impact on others. This is not a political statement, it is acknowledgement of a reality, and risks. If you cannot agree to this basic statement, then it is time for you to leave this thread.
As far as this discussion is concerned, this logic applies to large gatherings of people at the current time. Calling it dumb is not politics. It is an acknowledgement of the risks involved. If that's a problem for you, it is time for you to leave this thread.