Bbc News

[Kathyan]

Just watching the BBC news and they are doing an item about the coronavirus. Their reporter is walking about in an infected area doing a report to camera. The police have turned up and made them go back across the border. Why were they sent there in the first place knowing that the virus is highly contagious? It's ridiculous, dangerous and highly inappropriate!

[Mamyalynne]

Makes no sense with the available technology to communicate does it?

[gingejbee]

It's the broadcasting rule....news has to come from exactly where it's being made. Hence, reporting from Houses of Parliament at 11 pm, for no sensible reason.

[Togo]

//It's ridiculous, dangerous and highly inappropriate!//

I know......and they tax us if we have the technology that allows them to broadcast the unwanted nonsense into our lives.

[Buenchico]

There's no great risk of contracting 2019-nCoV to anyone who avoids close contact with infected people and who doesn't eat food in an infected area:
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public

[Mamyalynne]

It's still unnecessary Chris, they should stay away and keep from under their feet, they can still broadcast updates remotely.

[Buenchico]

You could say just the same about war reporting though. I'd rather take a very small of contracting a virus in a city where I can be in and out within an hour or so than be embedded with frontline troops in a major conflict zone for many months!

[Buenchico]

^^^ 'very small risk'

[Mamyalynne]

Yes, you could say the same.

Still my views won't change reporting habits.

[Prudie]

I'm going to ask a genuine question with no prejudice - why is this coronavirus causing such a worldwide stir and before unseen extreme measures in China? I understand about 40 people have died so far but I also see that about 15 people died of flu just over the Nov/Dec period in the UK which I presume is fairly standard for the vulnerable who catch flu. It's not exactly like people are dropping like flies on this one?

[sunny-dave]

It's not about the kill rate so far, Prudie - it's all about the potential kill rate for a novel virus against which we have no treatment/vaccine or natural immunity.

[retrocop]

Thousands upon thousands of people incapacitated and unable to work could bring a country to it's knees.

[ladybirder]

From today's Telegraph.
// There is good news. The virus is not as deadly as SARS. In fact, it is only about 10 times as deadly as seasonal flu, meaning 98 per cent of people who get it will survive (versus 85 per cent for SARS). While this isn’t exactly wonderful, it isn’t apocalyptic either. \\

[david small]

Conspiracy theories about this virus have suggested that this virus was deliberately put into the wild. One day some nutters may do just that to reduce the population wholesale.

[Zacs-Master]

‘Thousands upon thousands of people incapacitated and unable to work could bring a country to it's knees’
That’s it, retro. It’s Greta who’s had it released to stop all the power stations being built!
You’re a genius.

[albaqwerty]

I haven't been able to take a lot of these reports seriously since an episode of Drop the Dead Donkey had a reporter at the scene who had brought props for added emphasis.

Pointless way of reporting imo, the news folk do it a lot, the reporter standing outside in a foot of snow to say how cold it is - silly.

[ichkeria]

The BBC reporter I heard on the radio earlier said that on arrival at the outskirts of Hubei province, he was told he could enter but would not be allowed to leave again.

[ichkeria]

It’s difficult to get an accurate picture if you’re not there ...

[naomi24]

Kathyan, I thought the same. I do hope people sent to report from there are getting danger money!

[emmie]

it's the same surely when they report on natural disasters and are stuck in the country..

[roopower]

Moot point, but I also cant see the point of reporters being sent to the s ene of crime or accidents, standing by the police tape, expounding about what they gave or havent been told.