i remember being on the u.s.s tarawa when deployed with the 31st marine amphibious unit 1979 in the south china sea, and taking aboard several hundred emaciated vietnamese “boat people”. a number of the countries nearby (hong kong, indonesia, philippines, others) were not to keen on accepting them as refugees. we had a good medical staff on the tarawa and were able to provide some help, as well as food, basic shelter, and water. we even had a baby delivered on board and the mother named her “tarawa”. i don’t remember where we dropped them off.

here is a short article on the aftermath of that humanitarian rescue:

https://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=57441

bill

San Antonio was housing multiple cruise ship passengers in quarantine at Lackland and one who had passed the first two “tests” and remained asymptomatic was released by CDC before results of the third test came in… these test results were weakly positive and she was returned to quarantine, but not before dining and shopping at North Star Mall. The mall was closed for 24 hours for cleaning and the Mayor was furious with CDC and declared a state of emergency. Really fun.

Given the latest news I’ve heard last night and this morning, I posted the following on Facebook about 30 minutes ago:

~~~
“CORONAVIRUS ~ MY TWO CENTS

I believe in PROACTIVITY vs PANIC.
I am neither helpless nor invincible.

I don’t blow off the media reports as purely sensational AND I do my homework to sort out the facts from the hype.

So much is still unknown and changeable. Nobody involved is infallible. This is what feels scary. In comparison, most of us have survived the flu many times in our lives and think nothing of it (beyond its misery) when we get it.

This morning’s reports indicate the global mortality rate of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) is 3.4%, whereas for influenza it’s not quite 1%.

The good news:
80% who test positive have mild symptoms and spontaneous remission.
Hardly any children are becoming sick.

The bad news:
Most of the serious illness and death is occurring in those who are mature adults (my words ~ and my demographic) and those with underlying conditions or compromised immune systems.

There is mixed advice about masks and some other things, but EVERYBODY advocates for serious handwashing and avoiding behaviors and circumstances conducive to all kinds of disease transmission.

Fist, elbow, kneww, and ankle bumps are becoming popular greetings to replace handshakes.

I choose to stay informed and, within reason, to err on the side of caution.”
~~~

And, in other news, Joe Biden appears to have won Super Tuesday, with Bernie Sanders nipping at his heels. California results are still pending, but that’s how it’s looking. Most other Democratic candidates have dropped out and endorsed Biden. (Trump is, obviously, winning all Republican primaries.)

I hope, regardless of necessary modifications, your trip continues to be fun and educational (and safe) for you!!!

Robbye