Masturbation can help boost your immune system.

— Quite Interesting Facts (@qikipedia) March 7, 2020

Explains the run on toilet tissue anyway. I would expect sales of socks to escalate as well.

Jon Snow announces he is out of self isolation. Why do these so called "celebs" feel the need to let everyone know?

No wonder they want to shut her up and axed her superb show

Sergio Brusin from European Centre for Disease Prevention & Control tell us the UK government has ‘days’ to bring in social distancing measures or the UK will be the next Italy - ‘if you don’t do anything then thousands [of cases] will come” 10am @BBCTwo @BBCNews #VictoriaLIVE

— Victoria Derbyshire (@vicderbyshire) March 9, 2020

He knows nuthin

When does Cobra meet this morning? 

Now (11am).

Was reading about Italy announcing their lock=-down of the North... but not putting in place any real measures to impose it.

The result is that hundreds of thousands of people have been travelling southwards out of the quarantine zone, and presumably carrying the infection southwards.

I don't think Brian watches GoT though

But why would you want to leave your home so it can be looted? I would stay and protect my property

I binge watched it and got it!!! 

No use rushing. 

Back to cruises:

"India has banned all foreign cruise ships from its ports because of the coronavirus, with one European vessel turned away from Mangalore in the south at the weekend, officials said.

Cruise ships are seen as fertile breeding ground for the deadly virus, with more than 700 cases and six linked deaths from the Diamond Princess held off Japan last month.

A sister ship, the Grand Princess, was due to dock in California on Monday with 21 confirmed coronavirus infections among 3,500 people on board."

• at least being quarantined provides the opportunity to masturbate to a stronger immune system.

P.S. Easyjet has announced that it is cancelling all further flights from Milan to UK airports and BA is expected to announce the same shortly.

we’ll have to agree to disagree on this one, Nick...and apologies for reposting something that’s doing the rounds and been on this thread before. In my defence I’ve generally been keeping out of this thread,,far too many imho, hysterical posts...and meanwhile, I’ve been getting with life, washing my hands and visiting several relatives who are very seriously ill from conditions that are nothing to do with Coronavirus...although given their underlying health conditions, it is perfectly possible they could die from that...I probably won’t bother posting in this thread anymore but when you read about the media attention being given to this...as opposed to the literally tens of thousands of people who die each day in the world from entirely preventable deaths...I just think some sort of perspective is needed...and of course I appreciate the seriousness of the virus...I just hate the media and online coverage which ends up whipping up yet more hysteria.

Worth reading this entire thread. From the frontline in Italy where "an epidemiological disaster is taking place":

1/ I may be repeating myself, but I want to fight this sense of security that I see outside of the epicenters, as if nothing was going to happen "here". The media in Europe are reassuring, politicians are reassuring, while there's little to be reassured of. #COVID19 #coronavirus

— Silvia Stringhini (@silviast9) March 9, 2020

Could also explain why the over 80s are more at risk?

Our European neighbors are not on top of this though.

In fact Spain looks even more out of control than Italy. While Italy is showing slightly non linear growth, Spain seems to be barreling towards the exponential phase.

Germany and France are also a disaster waiting to happen.

The UK is also a disaster waiting to happen. We need to urgently impose restrictions on social contact. There is a total fiasco brewing in this country

All I would say is: read that twitter thread Justin just posted.

People need to seriously get a grip and realize that this is a disaster waiting to happen.

China brought it back using extraordinary methods

SK and singapore stopped it with outstanding and meticulous containment

Anything less than outstanding or extraordinary is not enough.

We need to do more, fast.

My housemate arrived back from Japan. He said when he arrived at heathrow NO checks were made at all.

Agreed, Spain went from one case on the 19 February to where they are today 909.

I am starting to concern myself that the UK response does seem to relaxed. Albania have a few cases and have just closed all schools for two weeks.

I can’t believe the Cheltenham festival is going ahead this week.

Listening to the Culture secretary this morning, it sounds like we’re still in the Denial Phase.

I was thinking the same thing.

Closing schools has a knock on effect which could lead to undesirable outcomes - NHS staff have children for example and may struggle to get to work if their children are off school.

Not sure what the best response is now - it is too late to prevent an exponential spread. Look at Italy - they pre-announce the isolation of Lombardy, so naturally enough, thousands board trains to get out, which can only lead to further spread of the virus to other regions. The only way to deal effectively with this epidemic is to identify cases and contacts quickly, to treat those with symptoms and to isolate the rest.

A tfl worker has tested positive with COVID-19