Coronavirus: What If We’re Wrong?

Am I the only one who thinks the whole coronavirus thing has been blown way, way out of proportion?

I’m sure that those of you who feel differently are ready to show me the error of my ways but hear me out.

I’m not denying that the virus exists, that it’s deadly for the elderly and those with compromised immune systems, and that it is spreading rapidly in mysterious ways.

But haven’t we seen this movie before? Weren’t SARS, bird flu, Ebola, ISIS, and the current incumbent in the White House all going to be the end of life as we knew it?

And yet.

Here we all are.

My friend Nelson Braff, who owns the Hunt & Fish Club, a top steakhouse in Midtown Manhattan, says it best.

“We have an epidemic of coronavirus,” he says, “but we have a pandemic of fear.”

Fear of what exactly?

Unless you are in your 70s or your immune system is otherwise compromised, there doesn’t seem to be a big difference between coming down with the coronavirus and having the flu.

Regular strains of flu will kill 80,000 people in the United States this winter, and 3 million worldwide.

Coronavirus has a long way to go if it wants to catch up.

So why the pandemic of fear?

Follow the money. Follow the power.

Our “news” media thrives on fear.

The used to say, “If it bleeds, it leads.”

Now, they should say, “If it triggers fear, it’s always near.”

Braff, the restauranteur, says he’s having to lay off many of his hourly workers, because seven major March events at his restaurant canceled in the previous week.

The media is turning coronavirus into a ratings fest.

Who pays the price?

The little guy.

The busboy at the Hunt & Fish Club.

The waiter on a cruise ship.

The baggage handler at JFK.

They are no more at risk for coronavirus than is the man on the moon.

And quite frankly, neither are you and I.

Not a deadly risk, anyway.

The politicians, never one to pass up an opportunity for a juicy crisis, are trying to turn coronavirus into a campaign issue.

So let’s all take off our masks, stop bidding for cases of Purell on eBay, take a deep breath and calm down.

Will the coronavirus numbers get worse before they get better?

Of course. It’s an epidemic.

Is it worth all the quarantines, the cancellations, the job losses, the hit to the stock market, and so on?

I don’t know. Doesn’t seem that way to me.

Americans have notoriously short attention spans.

At some point, sooner than later, the world, in the form of the WHO, the CDC, or some other spoonful of alphabet soup, will figure out how to shut the coronavirus down.

The market will go back up, people will go back to work, cruise ships will cruise, and everybody will forget about the whole thing.

Until the next crisis comes along.

But until that next crisis comes along, I’m sorry.

I’m not changing my flying schedule.

I’ll go to sporting events and run the Boston Marathon on April 20th, despite the fact that somewhere along the route, someone might sneeze.

I’m going to live my life.

And my Rx for the coronavirus?

Live your life.