Well that escalated pretty quickly didn’t it?

I think I wrote in my last column how the coronavirus (or Covid-19 to give it, its official brand name) was being overly hyped and how people should just perhaps calm themselves a little. After all, it’s nothing more than a common cold. Right?

Well since then, Italy, a country synonymous with pizza, pasta and a leaning tower, has essentially been placed into total lock down.

Thousands have been confirmed as having the virus, by far the highest number of people in Europe, with tragically, hundreds of deaths. They don’t know the exact origins of it in the country and China, thought to be the original source, has now largely disappeared from the news.

British Airways have announced they are ceasing all incoming and outgoing flights to the country for the foreseeable future. It’s not a good sign and no doubt will only create further panic as to what is going to happen over the coming weeks and months.

In the last few days, the number of those confirmed as having the virus in the UK has risen dramatically, now going upwards of 400, which is very concerning indeed, if not completely expected.

Even I, having returned from a couple of weeks away to Hong Kong and Thailand, have potentially fallen foul of the respiratory illness that is rather quickly casting its shadow across the entire globe.

I developed some cold/flu type symptoms within days of coming home, and I am currently writing this article from my home, in a state of self-isolation, while I await further information from the NHS about whether or not I will need to be tested.

I’m not worried about the situation at all, I’ve felt much worse in my life and in all honesty, despite where I have travelled on holiday, statistically at least, the chances of me having Covid-19 are still pretty low. But due to the quickly escalating nature of it all, it makes perfect sense to play it safe and stay within the confines of these four walls. I’m fortunate in that, I do not have to worry about how I will survive, as I have enough friends and family who aren’t petrified of ensuring I am kept up with sufficient supplies of food and of course, toilet roll.

What on earth are people doing panic buying loo roll? As someone far wittier than me said the other day, if this is indeed the first days of the incoming apocalypse, toilet roll would probably not be in the top 25 items I would be looking to purchase at this late stage.

The ugly side of human behaviour always seems to rear its even uglier head in times of crisis, and seeing images of people fighting over Kleenex is possibly right up there with some of the most pitying things I’ve ever laid my eyes on.

We all need toilet paper, I prefer a coconut scented one myself, but why on earth do people feel the need to stockpile it, like it’s suddenly going to stop going into production? And hand sanitizer. A ghastly product at the best of times, with people suddenly not being able to get enough of the boozy smell filling their nostrils as they rub their hands together with fear and dread, praying to the gods.

People are also suggesting Britain needs to follow the lead of other countries and cancel sporting events. This is where I think the hyperbole needs to slightly be tempered down a little. There have been around 300+ cases of the disease in the UK so far.

We have a population of 60 million. Yes, this number is in all likelihood going to increase, probably very quickly. It is likely to be in the thousands by the end of the month, but do we just stop everything we’re doing because there’s a new respiratory disease in town?

Personally, I think people need to put the whole thing into context. Some of the population are always going to be vulnerable to disease. That is sadly a fact of life.

Is there much we can do to stop this unerring spread? In all honesty, probably not. We can be sensible. We can stay indoors if we’re not feeling good.

We can wash our hands whilst singing Stevie Wonder’s version of Happy Birthday, but other than that, we just need to look out for our friends and family, and hope that those with underlying health issues can stay reasonably healthy.