Quoted from goingincirclez:Relevant to the topic, I can only offer the following observation:
- I attended LAX 2020 this past weekend, as I have annually since 2015. KY reported its first cases this same weekend. Week prior, the local sanitizer sellouts had begun. Still, I opted to go anyway...
- This was, by far, the lightest 3-day crowd I have ever experienced at LAX. It was almost eerie. Every year, the aisles were packed, and for a stretch on Saturday it was hard to move. The organizers rearranged things this year to help with that but there was no escaping the fact that attendance - as compared to my previous 5 years' experience of game wait lines / times, break-out room crowds, and even cosplay and other tournament crowds - was down.
The fear is for real, and precaution is sensible.
I have been at every single LAX and I would disagree with most all of this post. There were fewer people there LAST YEAR than this year. Especially on Sunday. I have been a vendor at the show many times and speak directly with the organizers about the attendance numbers every year.
The fear might be real but it seems like you are suggesting that this fear is a good thing. I disagree. There is overreacting and then there is being completely dismissive of any public issues like this.
If you are sensible about it and realize that you that you can only control your own actions, you will be fine. No post on an internet forum is going to change anything. It's always good to be somewhere in the middle. You should always practice habits to make you safe from disease in the general public all the time. There is no reason to ONLY do this when there is a cold floating around that can cause severe respiratory issues.
There are plenty of positives to be seen.... Buying and reselling hand sanitizer and masks on ebay is certainly going strong!
I am not that surprised at the government response thus far. It is a direct response to the panic put forth by the local and national news media, social media, and other media that is really only doing this because it is an opportunity to make THEM HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS A DAY. All mentioned sources are involved because it's the best way to put their ideas about how to run things into the spotlight and to drum up support for their ways of thinking. Same old song and dance over the last 100 years.