Whichever television news channels you watch, you can be certain that what purports to be “news” will be alarmist, meant to rile you up—whatever your political persuasion—and make you angry enough to watch at least until the next advertisement. If you doubt it, think about television weather reports about storms: “This could be the worst storm ever!” The news stations are in it for the money. If it doesn’t have video to go with it, usually they don’t show it. They count on interviews with “man-on-the-street” people who are emotional, as if they knew anything or as if that mattered. They just want to keep you watching—and afraid.
I don’t watch these stations at all unless I’m somewhere where they are on. I have a friend who was hooked on them and filled with anxiety and fear about the virus. A couple weeks ago she decided to stop watching and just read the papers. Now she feels much less anxious.
As for The Villages, our salvation is due to our living one or two to a house, with plenty of places to walk or ride and get some heat, sun, and exercise. That, combined with having so many businesses and activities closed or limited. Whether we want to or not, we have found social distancing quite easy. If New York City was spread out the way The Villages is, its death rate would be more like ours. (Of course, maybe it would be spread out all the way to Niagara Falls.)
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