We’re talking about the coronavirus and not to worry – this is not an alarmist piece.

What’s interesting about the coronoavirus is that it’s the first viral disease that’s being documented on social media, for better and for worse. Speaking of viral, there’s certainly no shortage of coronavirus hashtags and Facebook and Instagram to remove coronavirus misinformation, according to The Verge, “Including claims about false cures or prevention.”

Countries and companies are definitely taking it very seriously: Apple closed stores, offices in China over the virus; Samsung’s supply chain was disrupted; Ikea shut down all mainland China stores; Tesla says China has ordered its Shanghai factory shut down; Mongolia closed border with China, shut down ALL universities & training centers to stop coronavirus spread. There are travel bans (which no one is protesting) and quarantines.

If you’re curious, These are all the companies who have shut down operations in China over the deadly Wuhan coronavirus outbreak. To date.

Let’s also not forget that, given the degree of censorship in China, do we really know how widespread and/or devastating the disease really is, and pay attention, tech behemoths who helped to contribute to the Chinese censorship of platforms. Moore’s Law is all well and good, but tech does need to pay closer attention to the Law of Unintended Consequences. According to the Washington Post, Early missteps and state secrecy in China probably allowed the coronavirus to spread farther and faster. “Medical professionals who tried to sound an alarm were seized by police. Key state media omitted mention of the outbreak for weeks. Cadres focused on maintaining stability — and praising party leader Xi Jinping — as the crisis worsened… Key information about who got sick and when was not released publicly until weeks later, scientists and researchers said.”

So can you trust China about what may or may not be in their tech and devices?

Speaking of diseases in the age of social: China Is Arresting People For “Spreading Rumors” Online About The Coronavirus. According to Reddit, “As a part of the Chinese Communist Party’s mass surveillance, WeChat has been censoring “sensitive” content for almost a decade. Its importance to the Chinese state is so pronounced that the app added a coronavirus “whistleblower” feature, which allows users to send information to the government about how the outbreak is being handled by local officials.”

Just a heads up, as we’re not given to contributing to the panic which has set in in some quarters, and for the record, according to abc News: “So far, 10,000 people have died and 180,000 people have been hospitalized during the 2019-2020 flu season, according to preliminary estimates from the CDC. In total, the CDC estimates that 19 million people have gotten the flu so far this season.”

Perspective.

If you’re truly worried, invest in a surgical mask, wear it when you’re taking public transportation or in large crowds, take lots of vitamin C, wash your hands often (soap and water is fine), especially when you’re in contact with other people (some people have told us that they’ve dispensed with the usual salutary handshake for now) and use Twitter et al only in small, measured doses.

As for the conspiracy theorists out there (and if you think they’re not out there, here you go: Resident Evil fans connect Coronavirus & Racoon City), great time to be alive, what, eh and we’re sure that the movie will be coming soon.

And for the record, that’s a feature. Onward and forward.