We need guidance on surviving coronavirus

There is understandably a lot of fear and confusion over a deadly new disease that is sickening more people each day. The coronavirus began in China, but has spread to other countries, including the U.S. There are numerous confirmed cases in the U.S., and seven people in Wisconsin are now being tested for the disease. It is admittedly scary stuff, even though most medical experts say you have a better chance of contracting the flu than the coronavirus. That may be true, but with numbers of new cases rising each day, that isn’t all that comforting. So, what should we do to protect ourselves? We see people wearing masks, but also hear that they aren’t all that effective in preventing the spread of the disease. So what should we do? Who even has the answers? Two U.S. Senators, including Wisconsin’s Ron Johnson, have sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security seeking guidance. The Senators ask DHS if it has a Coronavirus response plan, and whether it is coordinating its response from other agencies. We need answers to these questions. Just think back to the response of the 2014 ebola virus. There were system-wide gaps in ensuring all airport travelers received full health screenings, making it harder to control the spread of the virus. They should tell us what to do. At least when we were worried about further terror attacks they told us to get duct tape. We will do what we need to do to stay safe, but first they need to tell us just what that is.