We’ve all likely heard the acronym NIMBY which is short for “not in my back yard.” It’s used most often by residents who are opposed to some type of development in their neighborhood. In other words they are okay with what’s being built but they just don’t want it near them.

It is that mentality that we sort of use when something bad happens but because of location it really doesn’t directly impact us.  For example when severe weather in the form of a hurricane, tornado or the like devastates a place 2,000 miles away we take a deep breath and say, “thank goodness it wasn’t us.”

Of course that all changed in 2012 when Superstorm Sandy delivered a powerful blow to the Jersey Shore and more than 7 years later we are still dealing with the repercussions.

I bring this up because of the latest coronavirus which in this case if COVID-19 and was first discovered in China in January.  I can’t remember the first time I heard a news story about this but I’m sure my reaction was something like, “that’s China’s problem and I’m glad it’s not ours.”

Little did I or anyone else know it would quickly become the world’s problem and in the case of the stock market have a somewhat devastating effect on the global economy.

President Donald Trump held a press conference Wednesday and it typical Trump fashion downplayed the hype and hysteria that is starting to build in this country.  He insists the virus poses “a very low” risk to us in America even though a day before an official of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cautioned that we should prepare to have a significant disruption in our daily lives.

The truth is like with other deadly viruses we are dealing with many unknowns and right now common sense should come into play more than anything else.  We’re told that the best prevention is to wash your hands regularly and correctly (yes there is a right and wrong way) and my guess is that those with plans to travel to certain countries might put those plans on hold.

Prevention and not panic should be the rule and we can only hope we never get to the later of those two.

 

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