3 May

Who remembers that this is the 3rd coronavirus epidemic in the last 20 years? SARS (2003) and MERS (2012). Both of those were far more lethal than Covid-19. Both were eliminated inside a year by old-fashioned quarantine. Why wouldn't everyone just eliminate Covid-19 then, using quarantine? Because this time it's hit countries who think they have to protect their 'economy' too. I'm a broken record on that, but it's the single belief we have that will keep us trapped by this little bastard for potentially 3 years. The countries this time who acted fast with quarantine have had - no surprises - by far the best outcomes. But even they now want to 'relax' quarantine with the job nearly done, to protect their (mythical) economies. (The pic is the hut 'Typhoid Mary' quarantined in, for 26 years. Her mental health was fine. Now 5 weeks apparently sends people bananas.)