EDITORIAL: Some simple rules for the coronavirus era

There’s so much news breaking, so much new information coming out, so many lies being slung that it’s near impossible to keep up. We’re posting a daily update on the website, with the most current count of COVID-19 cases in Guilford and Forsyth, important local developments, some state news and other useful items. Check it out at triad-city-beat.com.

A new round of restrictions in Guilford County dropped last night — no gatherings of more than 10 people, and all businesses save for those deemed essential services are ordered to shut down.

But there are a few items of interest that transcend the news cycle — some basic rules that we all need to follow in order to get through this unbelievably strange and confusing time.

Stay home. Even if you feel fine.

Sure, go out for groceries, or a drive, or a run on the greenway. And if you’ve got to work, you’ve got to work. But it’s important to minimize contact, and the best way to do that is to stay put.

If you feel sick, isolate yourself for two weeks. Seek medical attention if you are running a fever and have trouble breathing.

Don’t overbuy supplies. There is plenty of toilet paper to go around — if, that is, some asshole doesn’t fill his garage with it. There are literal lots of supplies warehoused in huge buildings all over this country, awaiting their next phase in the pipeline. But like everything else right now, if you take more than you need, then someone who needs it will have to go without. You might do well to internalize this principle in the coming months.

Be careful where you get your information. Reuters and Agence France-Presse have reported on weaponized misinformation campaigns coming from Russia and China — many of them claim that the virus originated in the United States. Use blue-chip news sources, look for source documents — all proposed COVID-19-related bills are available at congress.gov and senate.gov, for example — and sweet white Jesus, please do not share a news item on social media unless you’ve checked it. If someone points out that you’ve shared false information, don’t be a dick about it — just take it down.

Know the enemy: It’s the coronavirus, not each other. Ironically, the virus thrives on selfish, disorganized behavior. It’s our humanity that makes us vulnerable to the pandemic, but that is also the way through to the other side. We are truly in this together — the virus does not discriminate, and we cannot fight it on our own terms.

Be safe, everybody. And take care of each other.