How Coronavirus Outbreak Is Altering Social Norms: ‘Quarantine Shaming’ Targets Those Not Listening To Health Experts

The Associated Press: 'Quarantine Shaming': US Navigates Radical New Social Norms
“Quarantine shaming” — calling out those not abiding by social distancing rules — is part of a new and startling reality for Americans who must navigate a world of rapidly evolving social norms in the age of COVID-19. As schools close and shelter-in-place orders sweep across the U.S., the divide between those who are stringently practicing self-isolation and those who are still trying to go about some semblance of a normal life has never been more clear. Complicating matters: What was socially acceptable even 48 hours ago may now be taboo, as government officials race to contain the virus with ever-expanding circles of social isolation. (Flaccus, 3/19)

The Washington Post: Operation Cancel Spring Break: Floridians Fret Over Coronavirus As Young Revelers Try To Keep The Party Going
In a state plagued by killer storms, dog-eating pythons and the clickbait tales of “Florida man,” the coronavirus has put the fate of Floridians at least partly in the hands of responsibility-challenged teenagers and 20-somethings. Authorities are telling the tens of thousands of young revelers who regularly descend here this time of year to do the right thing: follow national guidelines and emergency laws to limit gatherings, social contact, and to Wash. Those. Hands. A statewide edict has forced bars and nightclubs to shutter. Miami-Dade County on Thursday ordered the closure of all beaches and county parks. Mayors have told the raucous visitors in no uncertain terms: Go home. (Faiola, Mekhennet, Strickland and Rozsa, 3/19)

The New York Times: You Can Help Break The Chain Of Transmission
After studying infectious diseases, epidemiologists like Helen Jenkins, of Boston University, and Bill Hanage, of Harvard, who are married, typically go one of two ways. “They either become completely and utterly infection conscious,” Dr. Hanage said, “or they are the type of person who drops the toast and picks it up and wipes it off and eats it.” “We would mostly be in the second category, but this has pushed us into the first category fairly visibly,” he continued, adding, “when the facts change, I update my priors” — a statistician’s term for what one believes and expects. (Roberts, 3/19)

The Washington Post: Coronavirus Projections: What Will America Look Like In Coming Months?
Experts around the country have been churning out model after model — marshaling every tool from math, medicine, science and history — to try to predict the coming chaos unleashed by the new coronavirus and to make preparations At the heart of their algorithms is a scary but empowering truth: What happens next depends largely on us — our government, politicians, health institutions and, in particular, 328 million inhabitants of this country — all making tiny decisions on an daily basis with outsize consequences for our collective future. (Wan, Achenbach, Johnson and Guarino, 3/19)

ABC News: Coronavirus Upends Nation, As Three In Four Americans' Lives Changed By Pandemic: POLL 
As a deepening public health crisis rocks the nation, a new ABC News/Ipsos poll released Friday shows a far different portrait of a country than from only one week ago, as nearly three in four Americans now say their lives have been upended in some way by the novel coronavirus and President Donald Trump's approval for his handling of the outbreak is on the rise. In the new poll, 55% of Americans approve of the president's management of the crisis, compared to 43% who disapprove. Trump’s approval on this issue is up from last week, when the numbers were nearly reversed. (Karson, 3/20)

ABC News: Isolation Of Families For Coronavirus Raises Concerns About Domestic Violence 
As schools across the country close and employees are encouraged to work from home in order to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, some experts are concerned about an increase in domestic violence... "But in this particular time, with COVID-19, home can be pretty intense for domestic violence victims and survivors, due to the abusers ability to further control," said Ruth Glenn, the president and CEO of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV). (Carrega, 3/20)

The New York Times: Deciding How Much Distance You Should Keep
When Dr. Asaf Bitton looked out from his window in Boston recently, he was shocked by the scene. Although schools, offices and businesses already had shut down to slow the spread of coronavirus, the park was packed. “I saw people from my window outside playing in the park together, and I thought, ‘This is crazy,’” said Dr. Bitton, executive director of Ariadne Labs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “Why did we close the schools if we’re going to shift social contact from the schools to the playground?” (Parker-Pope, 3/19)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Social Distancing Can Strain Mental Health. Here’s How You Can Protect Yourself.
To avoid overwhelming the U.S. health-care system by spreading the coronavirus to vulnerable groups, public officials around the country have asked people to practice social distancing — avoiding large crowds and close contact with others. President Donald Trump has called for Americans to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that no events with 50 people or more take place for the next eight weeks. (Ao, 3/19)

The New York Times: Complacency, Not Panic, Is The Real Danger
The sight of empty grocery shelves — widely shared on social media — combined with the dread of an invisible threat seem a perfect recipe for widespread hysteria. But, so far, despite mixed messages from government officials and shortages of tests and hospital capacity, there is little evidence of widespread panic. (Carey, 3/19)

The New York Times: Her Facebook Friends Asked If Anyone Was Actually Sick. She Had An Answer.
Crises are only political until they are personal. As news of Mr. Frilot’s diagnosis spread, his story was no longer just that of a young, healthy person who caught a virus that young, healthy people had been told they were not supposed to catch. It was a revelation for the conservative suburbs of New Orleans, where many had written off the pandemic as liberal fear-mongering. Mr. Frilot, a registered Republican, and his family are generally apolitical, and were not thinking much about the virus — whether as a fiction or anything else — before he got sick. But many in their community had opinions on it from the start. (Plott, 3/19)

The Associated Press: Parents, Police Struggle To Herd The Young In Virus Outbreak
Teen: “I can’t stay here all day. What about my friends!?” Parent: “Are you kidding? This is serious!” The adolescent brain is definitely in play as authorities around the globe struggle to keep young people from gathering, while parents fret at home about what they’re up to as the coronavirus spreads. (3/20)

The New York Times: Young Adults Come To Grips With Coronavirus Health Risks
Until several days ago, some bars and restaurants were still packed with St. Patrick’s Day crowds. Beaches were full. And it seemed as though many young adults were slow to take steps to curb the spread of the coronavirus. “I kept hearing, ‘Eighty percent of cases are mild,’” said Christian Heuer, 32, of Los Angeles, who tested positive for the virus last week and has been running a low-grade fever for six days. “But this is not just a sniffly runny nose. It’s the real deal. You’re really sick.” (Rabin, 3/20)

CNN: Immunocompromised Individuals Are Social Distancing To Save Their Lives
While there's concern for the elderly catching coronavirus, there's another high-risk group that has nothing to do with age. People with underlying medical conditions are also more likely to become seriously ill if they get it. Some of them are young and most of them may not look sick at all. Millions of them are living with a compromised immune system. (Zdanowicz, 3/19)

The New York Times: Can I Jog Outside? Is That Drinking Fountain Safe? Exercise In The Time Of Coronavirus
With almost all of us spending a lot of time at home because of the coronavirus pandemic and some under edicts to shelter in place and avoid going out at all, those of us who are used to regular exercise naturally have pressing questions and concerns about how best to stay in shape. (Reynolds, 3/19)

The Associated Press: In Pandemic, Word Definitions Shift And New Lexicon Emerges
Newscasts bring word of “hot zones” and “lockdowns.” Conversations are littered with talk of “quarantines” and “isolation.” Leaders urge “social distancing” and “sheltering in place” and “flattening the curve.” In an instant, our vocabulary has changed — just like everything else. (Sedensky, 3/20)