TildeCow brings up the pandemic [0]  - I think it's pretty clear now
that it _is_ a pandemic, even if the WHO doesn't want to label it as
that. Here is the quote that caught my eye:

    "My wife and I have plans in motion though I feel that less than
    1%  of  the  population  in my  provincial  backwater  are  even
    thinking much about it."

I mentioned in my french phlog that we had been preparing more after
a power  outage early this winter  [1]. We have also  been preparing
for the  eventuality of  "bugging-in", of  being quarantined  in our
home for  up to a  month. The people  in our area  (Southern Quebec)
don't seem  to be concerned,  I think this  is a mistake.   A little
thought shows just how dangerous the situation can become.

- Grocery  stores  get  daily  truck deliveries  to  maintain  stock
  levels. What happens when truck  drivers get sick, or employees in
  the factories  producing food are  told to go home  and quarantine
  for two weeks?

- 20%  of  people with  COVID-19  have  more serious  symptoms  like
  pneumonia that  usually require  hospital care.  As the  number of
  people  who get  infected  rises,  this pool  of  20% also  grows,
  eventually overwhelming the hospitals,  which even in normal times
  have tight critical care resources.  What happens when doctors and
  nurses get sick because supply  chain disruptions have limited the
  supply of protective gear?

That's just off  the top of my  head. I am sure  there are countless
other  examples  of  potential  shortages  with  critical  food  and
medicine production as a pandemic  takes hold.  There is uncertainty
here,  mostly  because we  don't  know  who  might be  infected  and
contagious. Not everyone who is infected shows symptoms. Many who do
get sick will experience mild symptoms and get better, but they will
do their part and pass the virus along before they recover.

[0] gopher://tildecow.com/0/phlog/2020.02.27
[1] gopher://republic.circumlunar.space/0/%7eslugmax/quebec/les-temps-et-les-pannes