Coronavirus and Walt Disney World general discussion

[NickMaio]

This is an awful decision. We’re shooting ourselves in the foot over Something similar to the common cold. Absolutely ridiculous.

You could not be further from the truth- - - - - - Please educate yourself at least for the benefit of others.
This thing can spread like wildfire - - - - - - look what has happened to the world markets already!
Italy----lockdown.......This is not a common cold or flu.
We have two confirmed cases in the city we live in - effective tomorrow schools will be closed for three weeks.
It is easier to do something at the beginning than to try and play catch up with a virus this virulent!

 

[Lilofan]

Will they still make deliveries can't have a corona party without corona beer and lime

I would think it would be party happy locals booking some rooms in the resorts trying to let off steam and what happens in Disney, stays in Disney!

 

[networkpro]

It's really easy to see all the fear, uncertainty and doubt being bandied about. The media is exacerbating the hypochondriasis experienced by some into a state of fugue. Its a horrible echo chamber effect.

People don't know, attempt to self diagnose themselves, cant pick between cold, allergy, flu or just normal and immediately go for Corona-19 as their malady.

Public psychosis.

 

[Inspire]

For starters, I'm a hypochondriac who lives and works in NYC. Already, we're off to a good start (and I fit the stereotype). Even with every precaution, even with assurances in print that there are no confirmed cases in the city, I'm getting a little worse for wear with each passing day. This is also crimping my desire to travel. Especially to metropolitan areas (which strike me as obviously a little more prone to spreading the virus). And if I had a trip coming up for Disney, I wonder if I'd think twice. In NYC alone, Chinatown is suffering, taxis aren't picking up asian passengers/passengers aren't stepping into taxis with asian drivers, restaurants are beginning to struggle, tourism is suffering due to the lack of international visitors.

Life is a roll of the dice. Anything can happen. Violence, accidents, transportation mishaps. But I'm wondering when (not if) the coronavirus is going to hit to the point that it affects travel and, more specifically, WDW. Does Disney have plans in place beyond limiting hours and laying off performers?

I was just in Disneyland two weeks ago, the crowd was a little light, but it was still impossible to get on the Rise of Resistance, so not to light. I didn't notice any sanitizing stations or extra cleaning happening around the park, however, cleaning cast members were still seen everywhere. We have a trip booked to Walt Disney World in Mid-April. We haven't canceled-yet-we have until the end-of-the-month with Delta to make a decision without too many change airline fees. We are waiting for the latest news from Disney. I am really sad about the whole thing--celebrating my 25th wedding anniversary and 50th birthday. We were going to go to Disney Hong Kong during the summer. Totally crushed my soul.

We live in the San Francisco area, I am a vendor for Hallmark and visit chain drug stores, grocery stores, etc. Last week was pandemonium in these stores people looking for hand sanitizer, alcohol wipes, face mask, wet ones, Lysol wipes, etc. The shelves are empty--it reminds me of a hurricane evacuation gone terrible wrong (I went through Katrina). Stores are so unprepared for this epidemic not having enough products of any kind on the floors. Honestly, I think it would be in the best interest of everyone to follow China's handling of the virus. All non-essential personal were locked down in their homes for 4 weeks, if you went outside without a face mask and police saw you-you were thrown in prison (Yes, they Know face-mask do not protect you from the virus -but it does protect you from a cough or sneeze), and everyone was tested. That was how they are able to control the spread of the disease. (I found this out by my husband who spoke to an associate in China). I know throwing people in jail is extreme, however, given the conditions. If we locked down the country 3-4 weeks, I think it would give us time to let the virus run its course instead of closing a few things at a time. Honestly, closing a school or a theme park for 2 weeks is not going to guarantee you will not get it 6 weeks from now, because you could still contract it from another place you can enter. However, maybe if we "shut down" as a country for 3-4 weeks we could reduce the spread of the virus. I know this would hurt so many people financially (myself included) however, if we were guaranteed not to be penalized in late payments to mortgage companies, credit card companies, etc. and possibly halt the spread of the virus I would totally go for it.

 

[Rimmit]

And I really think allowing non-medical exemptions is a HUGE mistake and that medical reasons should be the only allowed exemptions. I recently watched a Netfix docuseries (I think it was Pandemic?), and the number of mothers saying they know better than doctors was flat-out ASTOUNDING.

And that is why I no longer get on Facebook. Forums can get pretty heated at times and there is pretty rampant misinformation but Facebook is truly the worst for misinformation. I found that on Facebook you can get ganged up on pretty quickly if you have an unpopular opinion by someone’s friends unlike forums where it is a much larger spread of people and most aren’t friends rather than everyone having a concentrated opinion by virtue of being “friends” on Facebook.

 

[Rich Brownn]

The infection rate is not higher at this point. It likely would be if left completely unchecked for the simple fact that there is no vaccine but several strains of the flu are prevented with the flu shot.

The mortality rate may or may not be worse than the flu. Nowhere near enough data on actual total infections. If the Ohio Dept. of Health is correct and there are currently over 100,000 cases in Ohio then the mortality rate could be in line with the flu. A flu-like 0.1% mortality rate would be 100 deaths. Nobody has died yet in Ohio. Personally, my instinct for weeks (and I posted this very early on in this thread) is that there are a lot more cases than known but I have my doubts there are that many in one state. In all likelihood the mortality rate will probably end up being 3-6 times that of the flu.

Of course that isn't good but it isn't the end of days plague that it is being made out to be and leading to these extreme measures like closing WDW parks.

14 coronavirus myths busted by science

There's plenty of nonsense about the coronavirus online. Here are some of the biggest COVID-19 myths out there and the science to explain why they aren't true.

www.livescience.com

Not necessarily. To estimate how easily a virus spreads, scientists calculate its "basic reproduction number," or R0 (pronounced R-nought). R0 predicts the number of people who can catch a given bug from a single infected person, Live Science previously reported. Currently, the R0 for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease COVID-19, is estimated at about 2.2, meaning a single infected person will infect about 2.2 others, on average. By comparison, the flu has an R0 of 1.3.

 

[seascape]

My family’s trip is 4/19-4/26. Not canceling yet.

I like Wyndham's Vacation Club 15 day cancellation policy better than Disney's. I am cancelling my April trip and will rebook in the Summer. I already have September and November booked. I am thinking of banking my DVC points and staying at Bonnett Creek because I can't bank those points and can with DVC.

 

[NickMaio]

The flu mortality rate is on average globally 1% - Corona is between 3 and 4% - - - - Most likely higher because China was very slow to react and actually keep tabs in the first month.
That is a 4 fold increase in the death rate..........thats HUGE!

People please get your heads out of the sand and stop spreading misinformation - - - - This virus spreads much easier and quicker than the flu and will hit highly populated cities very hard......giving that those with the virus are quarantined for TWO WEEKS!!!
Imagine if half or three quarters of the hospital staff at your local hospital contracted the virus.........This is BIG !!!

Look at the stats, how fast Corona spreads - - - look what is going on in Italy and Paris and ect..........

Disney - Almost all professional North American Sports - Concerts all canceling - - not because of a common cold or even a common flu.
Disney can't operate if half their staff is quarantined at home or in a hospital for two weeks!
This virus is a respiratory failure inducing virus - - - - - There are only so many ventilators in the world and in your communities.
Look at the stats for critical care not just deaths...........

I am glad your country is doing something this big before - - - it is what needs to be done.

Be smart - wash your hands - - don't be in places with very close contact - - if you have a fever seek medical attention.
Take it as serious as it really is and your country might not actually make it to lock down stage......everyone being confined to their homes.

Be part of a solution - - - go and read credible source information! Be active.

 

[Nubs70]

We know that because of what causes that cycle: the school year.

The school year starts in the Fall with putting lots of children together in one building with the younger ones practically unable to practice good hygiene. It spreads thru the schools and back to the families. Parents bring it to work and spread it to coworkers. Coworkers bring it home to their family and kids who live in a different school district. The kids bring it to the new school district.

This happens every year with colds and flus peaking a few months after the start of the school year and then die out by the end of the school year.

This is why people *assume* that warm weather kills the viruses and cold weather incubates it. It doesn't. Scientific study over and over and over again shows that the the ambient temperature of the environment or the person has no or nearly negligible effect on how contagious a virus is.

Catching a 'cold' because one is 'cold' is a myth. The weather in Iran is warm and CV19 spread like wildfire there.

The belt n road initiative needs to really be looked at closely. I bet Africa is a bigger mess than we even know.

 

[DuckTalesWooHoo1987]

You could not be further from the truth- - - - - - Please educate yourself at least for the benefit of others.
This thing can spread like wildfire - - - - - - look what has happened to the world markets already!
Italy----lockdown.......This is not a common cold or flu.
We have two confirmed cases in the city we live in - effective tomorrow schools will be closed for three weeks.
It is easier to do something at the beginning than to try and play catch up with a virus this virulent!

23% of Italy's population is over 65 years old and it's the older and already unhealthy that are at risk. It's apples to oranges to paint with a broad brush. Italy has a much greater chance for dire consequences based on their population. That's why they're doing that. The media is making it out like it's an automatic death sentence to all who get it. It's not. You literally have a 99.5% chance of living. That's hardly something worth the general population getting in a tizzy over. If businesses want to do what they feel is best for them then I have no problem with that but it's the fear mongering coverage of it and the idiots that get their "news" from social media that are making this teeny tiny mole hill into Everest meets McKinley. I'm not a gambler but I would almost bet that not one single person on here knows one single person that has this. I also would bet that most people on here eat unhealthy in general and have zero fear of diabetes even though it kills hundreds of thousands every year. So does heart disease. So do strokes. So does cancer. Yet how many are taking drastic measures to fight against those things that kill WAY more people every year AND day than this thing will ever dream of. I understand people fearing the "unknown" but this thing is so out of proportion it's not even funny. WHY do people need stockpiles of toilet paper for a disease that might make your nose run?! It would be like saying "well my diabetes is taking my eyesight so I guess I better stock up on every book in the library..." People are acting irrationally.

 

[rnese]

I plan on reading a couple books...and playing board games with my family.

 

[Overlordkitty]

In our hospital, all our hand sanitizer and masks are being stolen. We now have them at the nurses station only as we are also running very low on PPE supplies.

Same at our hospital. Someone got caught stealing a bunch of masks and was fired on the spot.

 

[DuckTalesWooHoo1987]

People do die from the common cold all of the time. It does suck that we have another virus but you could in fact compare it to the complications of the elderly or those with compromised immune systems getting very sick. If we can prevent it, of course we can try, but those less densely populated states have no known cases. An honest question, no condescending tone intentended, at what point do you consider the disease burned out? Do we close everything down once there are a few hundred cases? Do we give up liberties out of inherent risk? It is a slippery slope.

My buddy's wife got breast cancer when she was 35 and when she was on chemo they highly recommended that she stay out of large crowds because her immune system was really compromised and it could complicate things. It's the "pre existing conditions" that are getting people with this. I just want to know of a case where a perfectly healthy person got this and was dead in a matter of days. I want to know of all the confirmed cases of all the people from the crowd where Rudy Gober was playing basketball that now have the virus since people are acting like if they get within 100 yards of it they're gonna fall over dead.

 

[DisneyDebRob]

A friend of mine saw this on Facebook. I know, the worst place for information. But I checked a few things online and from the reporting, it’s accurate. I actually found something on Facebook that was accurate! Little scary also.


Thinking the reason the US is so low because of the problems we are having with testing.

 

[KaliSplash]

Based on what I've seen, we are closing everything because health experts say there is still a chance to contain this outbreak. That is something that is no longer possible with the cold and flu, there is always cold and flu in the world. But the experts think these steps could isolate, contain, eliminate? this particular virus. Whether they are right or wrong about that, and weather these steps will work remains to be seen. But because this is a new virus strain, we are trying to contain it so it doesn't become as common as flu.

 

[Disstevefan1]

just checked hotel prices for next week

riviera and boardwalk are both over $600

The person responsible for updating the pricing on the site is at home self isolating......

 

[Timmay]

I plan on reading a couple books...and playing board games with my family.

You can’t go wrong with Pandemic.

 

[networkpro]

 

[MonorailCoral]

My wife worked ER for many years the things people came to the ER for made me shake my head in disbelief. Things any sane person would take care of themselves. I can only imagine what some people will be running to the ER for- wasting medical staff time and space.

When healthcare is free that’s what people do. I once had a patient sign into the ED, get triaged to the end of the line because it was a cold. Then go home, call EMS, come in via ambulance because they thought it would be faster. They still went to the back of the line.

It is incredibly frustrating.

I worked 911 for several years and yes, people routinely not only called 911 from inside the emergency room because they thought it would get them service faster, but also called 911 from inside the emergency room requesting to be transported to a different hospital because they "didn't like the attitude of the nurse".

That job absolutely opened my eyes and gave me a less-than-blissful outlook on humanity. But you know what they say, ignorance is...

 

[Incomudro]

When healthcare is free that’s what people do. I once had a patient sign into the ED, get triaged to the end of the line because it was a cold. Then go home, call EMS, come in via ambulance because they thought it would be faster. They still went to the back of the line.

It is incredibly frustrating.

This is why I view much of my species from the outside looking in.