No Time to Die... from COVID-19

[robkelk]

Producers postpone release of 007 film No Time to Die

Together with 007 producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, studios MGM and Universal announced Wednesday that the next Bond instalment will not open next month as scheduled "after careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace."

Instead, the film will be released Nov. 12 in the U.K. and Nov. 25 in North America, with other worldwide release dates to follow.

Also:

• Avril Lavigne, Wolf Parade among Canadian musicians cancelling international tours due to coronavirus concerns
  
• K-pop stars BTS cancel Seoul kick-off of world tour over coronavirus
  

Bucking the trend, the IOC is unwavering on Tokyo Olympics starting in July.

[Norgarth]

The Amazing Race has suspended production for similar concerns
https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/cbs-sus...203519026/

[Labster]

If this thing spreads like influenza it should all be over by July, anyway.

[hazard]

If this thing spreads like influenza it should all be over by July, anyway.

Not necessarily. Spanish Flu started in the winter/spring of 1918, mostly stopped during the summer and hit even harder in the autumn.

[Labster]

If this thing spreads like influenza it should all be over by July, anyway.

Not necessarily.

Ah, we're starting off well...

Spanish Flu started in the winter/spring of 1918, mostly stopped during the summer and hit even harder in the autumn.

Nope.  I mean, the facts are correct, but you chose the most atypical epidemic I know of -- the virus evolving to become more deadly is something that happens extremely rarely.  And of course, the world in 1918 wasn't connected by routine worldwide air travel. Basing predictions off this is like predicting climate change based on a blizzard or two.

I'm sure there's an argument to be made that I'm wrong but that's not it.

[hazard]

The problem isn't that the virus became more deadly.

The problem is that the virus came back. The heat and dry weather of summer will not guarantee that the disease dies out, especially since the disease has struck the Middle East, famously arid and hot, and has not stopped.

[robkelk]

Back to the topic at hand...

2 Canadian insurance companies stop covering coronavirus-related trip cancellations. They're big insurers, too. Previously-existing travel insurance isn't affected, but new insurance won't cover this type of cancellation.

Travellers with regular trip cancellation insurance typically have been able to get reimbursed if, after booking their trip, Ottawa issued a coronavirus-related advisory to avoid non-essential travel to their destination.

However, Manulife and TuGo will no longer offer this type of coverage. Both companies have issued alerts, saying the coronavirus is now a "known" issue and therefore cancellation coverage no longer applies — as it's designed for unexpected mishaps.

Oh, and fears of coronavirus contamination prompt Starbucks to temporarily ban reusable mugs.

[robkelk]

South by Southwest festival cancelled over COVID-19

Officials in Austin, Texas, have cancelled the South by Southwest arts and technology festival.

Mayor Steve Adler said Friday he'd declared a "local disaster" in the city as a precaution because of the threat of the coronavirus, effectively cancelling the annual event, which was due to start March 13.

On the other hand, San Jose isn't cancelling this weekend's NHL hockey game.

[robkelk]

Hands up, everybody who already knew that the person in charge of the WHO's first response to COVID-19 is from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Yeah, I didn't think I'd see any hands. Mine wasn't up, either.

A short interview with Dr. Bruce Aylward

What is the biggest challenge you face with preventing the spread of COVID-19?

I think the single biggest challenge we faced is a misunderstanding and often a softpedalling of this at the level of the population.

People are clever. People are concerned about their health. People will do the right things if they have the right information.

What we've seen is people are cherry-picking data. So they look at the lowest possible case fatality rates and say, "Oh look, it's like seasonal flu." Or they pick, "Oh it doesn't spread so fast because of this," or "Oh it only affects the older ones, I'm safe." And none of those propositions are true.

There's no reason to panic about this disease, but you have to be deeply concerned. This is not seasonal flu. It's an order of magnitude [with] tenfold — at least — higher mortality rate. Yes, it does strike vulnerable populations, but it can strike any age, let's be very, very clear — especially between your 30s and 60s and the older population.

If the population understands all those things, it will play ball. And I find the single biggest challenge is the populations aren't always getting clear enough information.

---

Arctic Winter Games cancelled amid coronavirus concerns

Yukon's acting chief medical officer of health, Dr. Catherine Elliott, made the recommendation because she felt there was no scenario where it would be safe to conduct the games.

[Dartz]

Convention with attendance normally in the realm of 10,000 going ahead Next Weekend

Whee.

St. Patrick's day is cancelled, meanwhile.

[robkelk]

The tl;dr on this one would be longer than some full articles linked to from this thread. At least skim through it all anyway, please.

Coronavirus: WHO calls COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic, warning of bigger numbers ahead

The article gives an overview by region of the world.

---

Coachella carrot music festival postponed

---

Ottawa's Italian businesses feel effects of lockdown, from prosciutto to guided tours

[hazard]

Well, official WHO response went from 'contain and exterminate' to 'delay and survive'.

[Dartz]

Dublin Comic Con was just cancelled - recommended by Venue.

Steve Martin's show with about 5,000 people at it went ahead. Statistically one at least one attendee has The Virus. Good show though.

Kaizokucon is - at the first week of April - still going ahead.

St. Patrick's Day cancelled.

Most business still going ahead. Trinity closed.

[Dartz]

And now we've closed schools and public buildings. Gatherings over 100 indoors - or 500 outdoors - are banned. Corona is also under some 1947 disease act originally written for Tuberculosis that gives the government some fairly serious powers - like putting people in prison for resisting isolation for it.

Pubs are still open. No restrictions on restaraunts and stuff.

Questions are being raised about the authority of the government to do this - as they have already resigned and called an election which they lost - but the constitution is fairly clear that the government specifically retains its duties and offices until such a time as a new government can be formed.

This has yet to happen.

[classicdrogn]

Well, it would be even worse to have all the same problems but no leadership with the authority to address them. Even if some of the actions taken are less than ideal, at least there's a clear line of who to blame afterward

[robkelk]

School's out for three weeks all across Ontario, too. (The province, not the county.)

At this point, I'm just going to point at the local "what's closed" list... Aw, the St. Patrick's Day Parade is off. So are the Nowruz celebrations. And the Pearl Jam concert.

[LynnInDenver]

We've been seeing events fall into cancellation/postponement over the past week here in Denver. We've got an anime convention taking place later this month, I'm waiting for word that it's being cancelled or delayed, although we hadn't been planning on going.

[Star Ranger4]

No, it wasn’t a dream: Every Disney theme park in the world is now closing.

Good, my vacation ends just as these go into effect.

bad...  the damage has already been done.

[Black Aeronaut]

Here's another big one: South-by-Southwest got cancelled.
https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/06/sxsw-cancelled/

[Labster]

Well, just had my friend and coworker die, on a cruise ship.  But not of the virus, it was a SCUBA accident.  Seriously, those boats are floating deathtraps, avoid.

[Norgarth]

a funny take on "The Devil went down to Georgia"

[RMH999]

Covid-19 progression of symptoms

Here's a scientific preprint of symptom progression if anyone needs it.

RMH

[Dartz]

And they just ordered the pubs shut

[LynnInDenver]

Yeah, we cancelled our attempt to go to the Indian Hot Springs today, and we'll attempt it again in a few months once the pandemic has passed. The plan was to do some home projects this week, anyway, so we'll be home and shut in.

I'm waiting for them to start ordering smaller events (<250 people) and stuff shut down at this point.

Edit: Midwest Gaming Classic in Milwaukee at the start of April has been cancelled.

[hazard]

Well, that didn't take long to get changed.

New orders from the Dutch government to deal with the COVID-19 epidemic. I believe the previous orders are in the political forum in a thread on COVID-19.

All schools and pre-school facilities are closed.
For children of those working in critical industries (healthcare, law enforcement, public transport, fire department etc.) a system of in school child care is being arranged.
Educational programs are being arranged by teachers to teach pupils now stuck at home. Priority is given for those in their final year of secondary education so they can complete their exams properly.
All restaurants, pubs etc. are closed.
Sporting clubs, gyms, sauna's, sex clubs, and coffeeshops are closed.
It's requested that people maintain at least 1.5 meters distance from each other as much as possible.
These measures will be in place immediately and until 6th of April.
All previous measures are extended to the 6th of April.