BBC
Italian officials have cut short the Venice Carnival as they try to control what is now the worst outbreak of the coronavirus in Europe.
Authorities in the Veneto region said the event would end later on Sunday, two days earlier than scheduled.
Italy has by far the highest number of coronavirus cases in Europe, with 152. Three people have died. Italy has imposed strict quarantine restrictions in two northern “hotspot” regions close to Milan and Venice.
About 50,000 people cannot enter or leave several towns in Veneto and Lombardy for the next two weeks without special permission.
Even outside the zone, many businesses and schools have suspended activities, and sporting events have been cancelled including several top-flight football matches. More
While Carnival is celebrated across a number of European cities, Venice’s is renown as one of the oldest with a long tradition of ornate masks. Here
Here’s a Coronavirus news concentrator site in the UK that scans the web and updates automatically:
https://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/Hot+Topics/Coronavirus+Outbreak
The second link has a photo titled “The Plague Doctor mask has a beak like a bird” if you scroll down far enough. Check it out. Maybe plague doctors will be making a comeback. Reading “Fever 1793” about the yellow fever that ripped through Philadelphia. It killed 10% of the city’s people. Tragic event.
Between that pic and this brooding pending situation, it reminds me of the saying “eyes wide shut”, as in, “oh it can’t happen here!”
For context and comparison, California is the same size as Italy geographically, Cali has 40 million people and Italy has 60 million.
More context, there are about 50 confirmed cases in the US.
Iran, as closed a society almost as China is, has even come out with reports of outbreaks.
Here in MI, we have 325 of those walking Petri dishes being “monitored” by health services.
Wish us luck.
MissinMi, was in Menard’s today in my little Mich town. Observed two employees, one at the customer return desk, wearing masks. Makes you think.
Different Tim, your right, I visit the VA Hospital and sit in the waiting rooms wondering if I should start putting one of their “free” (someone is paying for them) masks. No telling where the young vets are returning from. Vietnam didn’t kill me, I hope I make it to “natural causes”. It does make me think.
Seems nuts to me to load people, from infected areas, onto airplanes for an 18 hour flight to the other side of the world.
Not exactly the best method to halt the spread of the disease. In old times used to be when transportation was much slower infected people died before they traveled very far. Thereby keeping the disease local to its origin.