Here's what's happening "downunder" in response to the coronavirus...

[Dien Rice]

Here in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, all "non-essential" activities are to stop from Tuesday local time (which is around Monday evening US time)... This was just declared a couple of hours ago by the state government.

I'm not sure exactly what that means yet... But I think supermarkets, pharmacies, and gas stations are among those that can stay open...

Also, schools in Victoria will shut down from Tuesday as well.

Sydney (and the whole state of New South Wales) is doing the same thing as Victoria.

Each state in Australia is doing things a little differently, though...

I'm personally glad these shutdowns are happening.

What seems to work (in my observation) in countries that are further along than we are, is to...

- Do massive coronavirus testing. You need this so that people who test positive can quarantine themselves (so it doesn't spread). South Korea has shown the way here. Testing needs to be widespread, fast, and ideally free (otherwise people won't get tested).

- Do massive social distancing, which may require shutting down various businesses and services... Without social distancing, the coronavirus will keep spreading.

Keep in mind, around 20% of people who get it require hospitalization. Of those who recover, it's reported that a certain percentage have permanent lung damage.

Senior citizens, and those with previous conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, and coronary heart disease, are at the greatest risk... (I'm in that category due to prior medical conditions, which is why I'm paying close attention...)

Many people will suffer financially, so there needs to be some kind of support (so people don't starve or go homeless). But this way, more people will survive.

The world has never seen anything like this since the Spanish Flu in 1918.

Keep in mind, anyone who was born in 1918 is 102 years old now. So the few people still alive who lived through the Spanish flu, would have only experienced it as a very young child...

- Dien