Epidemics are common enough and human history is awash with examples that have killed but a few people, down to others that have decimated the population of a country by a third. The Spanish Flu killed more than The Great War. The Black Death removed a vast swathe of the population. Ebola and Sars remain potential causes for alarm.

The coronavirus joins this notorious list and is currently the cause of much panic, particularly in the given-to-much-hysteria media. Sure, it is a a dangerous virus but some perspective is required. My wife has been haranguing me to avoid parts of the CBD where Chinese tourists might be found, which is pretty much everywhere. I replied that there was a greater chance of me being knocked down at a street-crossing than contracting the coronavirus, especially since there are so many red-light runners nowadays.

Of course I am careful. I don't want to catch someone else's cold at the best of times, and using trains regularly puts one at risk. But life has to be lived, does it not?