As of the time this post has been written and submitted (March 13, 2020) over 100,000 people have been infected worldwide with Covid-19 aka, a new strain of coronavirus. This is a special entry that aims to inform and document a phenomenom that has uprooted and changed the course of many lives in real life and online. The reaction to coronavirus has led to sci-fi apocalyptic movie-like scenerios, from panic and bulk buying (weirdly enough, toilet paper seems to be sold out all over the globe) to schools and universities, businesses and other institutions, as well as public events and conventions closing and ushering in a new age of fully-online education and telework. Read on to learn more about how Stardolls all over the globe, (yes, our very own members) have been affected by the pandemic, and how you can protect yourself, stay calm, and mitigate the virus.

 (NORTH & SOUTH) 
THE AMERICAS

csi12asa: "I live in Manitoba, Canada. I work in health care. We are preparing for the incoming local cases of coronavirus. So, we know we will have it soon the way it's spreading. I'm a front line health care worker, I'm a nurse's aide. We went over isolation procedures and proper 'Personal Protective Equipment' the other day at work. 
They aren't fitting the aides for N95 masks, just the nurses. (We were mad too, but according to our higher-ups the reason the nurses are getting masks and not us is because they do the respiratory treatments. I talked to some aides from other cities and they are being fitted. I have no idea why we aren't.) Winnipeg, the capitol of Manitoba has it's first case as of today. I'm not worried for my own safety though. I'm young and relatively healthy. It's just I work with elderly people and if they get it they could die. However, some elderly people can die from the common cold and influenza. We isolate people for colds and flu all the time and we are pretty good at containing it to the select few that are sick. I'm not that worried for myself, but for my elderly patients it could be deadly and at the same time we know how to isolate the spread of the virus."

WishMissFancy: "I'm from the West Coast of the USA. Coronavirus has affected me personally as a dual-enrolled high school and college student. Schools are closed, all my work has to be done online. Online is not my preferred method of studying. Most of the facilities where I do my extracurricular activities are closed as well, and now this pandemic keeps me from participating in extracurricular activities. Overall, the coronavirus has changed my everyday life."

AllDolledUp: "The United States president has officially declared state of emergency. A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to perform actions or impose policies that it would normally not be permitted to undertake. I think this has escalated so fast, and it's only just the beginning of a turbulent decade ahead. My university has closed, and all of it's 50,000+ students across multiple campuses are fully online. I was looking forward to an internship and other oppurtunities this year, but it seems like 2020 has been cancelled. I hope this is over soon; stores are sold out and the economic melt down after the gains we had witnessed months ago means that for many millenials and gen-z graduating this year or afterwards; we have nothing to look forward to. I just want the mass hysteria to end."

saintreptillian: "I'm from Brazil, we already have 69 confirmed COVID-19 cases and the majority of them are from Sao Paolo state (or SP), where I live. We don't have any cases confirmed in my city Jundiaí but we have 15 suspected cases of COVID-19 here. I'm still living my life normally, but I'm starting to get a little bit afraid of contracting COVID-19 and my state end up getting isolated in quarantine since we have 30 cases from 69 (this number can rise in a few hours), and some information leaked regarding Lollapalooza festival, probably it's going to be cancelled this year due to the pandemic."

miss.covergirl4: "My city is struggling trying to get toilet paper, sanitizer, Lysol / disinfecting wipes, and water. Stores like Dollar General and Publix have started to put a limit on what people can buy. I just ordered janitor's toilet paper (pack of 100!!) from Amazon (there was no more at my corner store). Take better care of yourselves and wash your hands MORE and stop drinking the sanitizer."

AUSTRALIA 

WildChrissie: "I'm from Australia and there have been a number of confirmed cases in my city, including Tom Hanks and his wife. (I didn't even know he was in Australia, lol). Fortunately, some of the patients were treated at the hospital and were cleared a week ago, but today there were 5 new cases. From what I've heard from the news, most of the cases are from people who have recently travelled and Australia has now issued a travel ban for mainland China, South Korea, and Italy. It's crazy and scary how big this has gotten."

EUROPE

springpinkdaisy: "In Italy, if any of us have a cough or cold, simply call the general practitioner who will decide what to do. If the health conditions are more serious, there is a reserved number to contact.To those who think it is a banal cold or that it is only risky for the elderly: the first Italian patient is a 38-year-old athlete and has been in intensive care for two weeks attached to a respirator. Today, he woke up after two weeks of treatment. It has been understood that the disease has two phases: An initial one that presents with interstitial pneumonia with medium-low oxygen requirements and a rapidly progressive secondary phase, in which an inflammatory syndrome intervenes which makes the situation completely worse. The infection affects many people and statistically it can happen that even young people develop severe forms, although the bulk is represented by the over 70s."

goldiegem: "I'm from Ireland, and as of now, 43 people have it and one has died. It's crazy how rapidly it is spreading. Just last week less than 10 people had it. Most cases are people who have been to Italy. The government is not acting fast enough. They should have decided to cancel the parades 2 weeks ago. Not now. My heart is with those who suffer with OCD and other anxiety disorders during this time. My mother cancelled our dentist appointments. I am avoiding taking the train and going anywhere with large groups of people."

candy.supergirl: "I live in Germany and we have about 3000 infected and 7 dead. In the rural district where I live are 6 infected, no one dead. The bigger city nearby (where I study) has closed cinemas, clubs and museums are closed. They are thinking about closing restaurants. I am currently on semester break, but I am not sure if university will start in April as the summer semester should start. People hoarded toilet paper, noodles and canned foods. I don't know much about Sars and Mers infections, because I was too young when they happened, but I feel like people are panicking too much where I live. I hope it won't get as bad as it is in Italy."