I started this thread to separate discussions of the ramifications of the epidemic from the epidemic itself.
Some just occurred to me...
We have all wondered about what would happen if the supply of goods from China were cut off. And to some extent we are started to see an example of that. But what is different from the expected scenario is that the demand for goods from China has taken a nosedive due to concerns over product safety, namely the fear that goods from China could be contaminated by the SARS-COV-2 Virus.
In other words, people can't get their normal products from China, but then people don't WANT products from China. So both supply and demand have both gone down simultaneously rather than just the supply.
Another fallout from this is the outcry in China over the government's handling of the crisis. Hashtag "I want freedom of speech" was trending on China social media for several hours before the censors could suppress it. There is widespread anger at the government, especially in Hubei Province. And those people on lockdown in Hubei have nothing to do so they are spending a lot of time on social media and they are talking.
Some just occurred to me...
We have all wondered about what would happen if the supply of goods from China were cut off. And to some extent we are started to see an example of that. But what is different from the expected scenario is that the demand for goods from China has taken a nosedive due to concerns over product safety, namely the fear that goods from China could be contaminated by the SARS-COV-2 Virus.
In other words, people can't get their normal products from China, but then people don't WANT products from China. So both supply and demand have both gone down simultaneously rather than just the supply.
Another fallout from this is the outcry in China over the government's handling of the crisis. Hashtag "I want freedom of speech" was trending on China social media for several hours before the censors could suppress it. There is widespread anger at the government, especially in Hubei Province. And those people on lockdown in Hubei have nothing to do so they are spending a lot of time on social media and they are talking.