What was normal behavior last week is dangerous and irresponsible this week. I also normally like to be on a low information diet, but these are not normal times. We are all in serious danger from people who are either uninformed or not taking the information seriously.
Exactly. Information is changing at a rapid pace and in order to stay safe I feel it's very important to keep up to date.
News (ACCURATE news) is crucial. Misinformation is a cluster.
We went to France in late January after having booked in the summer of 2019. Feb was great. In late Feb / early March, we paid more attention to the rumblings and started researching, and canvassing knowledgeable friends and family as to what to do, receiving mixed responses.
Two weeks ago on Monday March 9, we were in France, in a pub, playing trivia. The global/local news was a bit concerning, but all was relatively normal.
March 12, we were supposed to meet up with friends for lunch. Via email at 11 AM that day, we got an email that said they were bailing on a hastily-rebooked flight. They are not the types to over-react.
March 13, we changed flights to come home on March 15, three weeks early.
March 15, the airports were downright creepy because all shops etc. were closed. The flights were more *normal*, to the immense credit of the airline employees, on all fronts.
March 16, the day after we'd left: France started its lockdown: schools, then bars, restaurants and all non-essential businesses closed. Soon after, no outings unless you have a legit purpose and have an attestation saying why you're outside. No running/jogging for more than 1-2 km outside, and as long as you remain within 500 m of your residence.
March 23, we're getting to pretty much the same situation on this side of the pond.
The stuff that drives me crazy is the conflicting information and/or misinformation:
- "you get it mainly from touching infected surfaces and then touching your face" vs. "it's airborne and you get it from being in close proximity to someone who has it and breathing in the aerosol/droplets" - I've heard one, the other, or both, from reliable sources
- speculation as to the number of asymptomatic people who are spreading it (2:1? 5:1?)
- "young people don't get really sick" vs. "actually, lots of young people CAN get really sick"
- whether or not you can get re-infected if you've had it once
- how long, and when/what stages, that someone can pass it on
- etc.
And the news that ENRAGES me is the stuff about people deliberately coughing on produce and on police and first responders, or abusing health care workers. Not to mention the partygoers. (But what's the answer: martial law?)
So to answer the OP's question, the benefit was that we were able to make a prudent choice to come back just in time. In retrospect, perhaps it should've been sooner.
The downside is:
- having to constantly adjust our view, based on the news du jour
- getting riled at the idiocy of some people:
https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2020/03/19/dont-do-this-woman-films-herself-licking-toilet-seat-on-flight-to-miami-for-coronavirus-challenge/ etc. etc.