THE CORONAVIRUS (officially known as COVID-19) is causing the cancellation or postponement of many events across the nation, and is sending the stock market reeling (Shutterstock).
Alarm over the spread of coronavirus (also known as COVID-19) is causing ripples across many areas and interests, from the “Happiest Place on Earth” to your neighborhood market.
Concern over the possible public health challenges has led the NBA to suspend its season, with the NHL potentially following suit. Most college conference tournaments have been cancelled and Major League Baseball has cancelled spring training.
Additionally, the baseball regular season start will be pushed back two weeks. The Angels had been scheduled to open on the road in Houston on March 26, and open at home on April 3.
The “March Madness” NCAA basketball tournament has been cancelled, and in New York, most Broadway shows with 500 or more seats in the theater will be cancelled.
Local high school sports have not yet been disrupted, especially since the rainstorm that hit the area is expected to last well into next week and that’s forced the cancellation or postponement of many contests. Some colleges are closed or closing with students not allowed to return. Instruction and/or exams will continue online.
The CIF-SS, which acts as governing body for most Southern California high schools sports, has announced it will follow the lead of local school districts on whether events and games will be affected. So far, no public school systems in Orange County have announced plans to close.
The hotel business in the Anaheim-Garden Grove business is reported to be off sharply, which affects nearby restaurants. The annual Garden Grove Chamber of Commerce’s Gala, originally scheduled for March 28 at the Anaheim Marriott Suites – located in Garden Grove – has been postponed to June 6. Disneyland in Anaheim is to be closed from Saturday, March 14 until the end of the month because of the outbreak.
Some supermarkets are still struggling to keep up with the demand for not just bottled water but also hand sanitizer, paper towels and toilet paper.
Wall Street continues to be battered. The Dow Jones Average fell 2,300 points on Thursday, the worst one-day drop since 1987.
Each of our local cities – Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Stanton and Westminster – are formulating plans to cope with possible effects of states of emergency, travel bans, and increases in the number of people exposed or testing positive. So far, there have been just five cases in Orange County.
The Orange County Health Care Agency is taking questions from the public about the COVID-19 at (800) 564-8448. A virtual town hall phone call will be conducted today (March 12) from 6-7 p.m. at (855) 756-7520, ext. 56750# .
Categories: Across the Area
The run on toilet paper, hand sanitizer, paper towels, and water has now apparently exploded into panic buying of all kinds of food products. I was at several grocery stores today trying to do my normal Friday shopping, but could not get into one because the parking lot was full, another where there were no carts (and when I looked in the door, there were 15-20 people in every line), and when I finally did get in to the third, there were lots and lots of empty shelves there. It reminded me of life in the Soviet Union back in the 1970s and 80s.
This is insanity. There is no need to horde food. Even in Italy, supermarkets are open.