Visiting audio stores?

While I am not saying this is not a serious issue as it is, but I think there are times when people tend to over react.

I would think that there is more to life than visiting an audio store and listening to gear or even purchasing something at this time

I can never understand why members think that the world is going to come to an end if they don’t do something audio related everyday.

stay in your house where you are safe and when this clears then you can visit your audio stores again

It will impact all business’.  This will be interesting how this all plays out.  Distance yourself from the public.

This is a good time to be an Audiophile!  Social distancing should come naturally to you, lol, and getting lost in music is most of the time a solo event.

I’m stocked up on good food and “supplies”, good music and good gear.  My other hobby, Mountain Biking, is still another activity I can do safely and away from others.

I was at my dealer last Friday getting my preamp re-tubed, imagine being on lockdown with no tunes! Just the store manager was there the owner and another employee out doing a custom install. I ended up spending 3 hours there as my 9 preamp tubes were tested and 6 matching replacements were found, and he answered the phone and dealt with 2 other customers. It was honestly a pleasant distraction.

I'm in Santa Clara county, California and the shelter in place order applies to us. So we aren't holding auditions or going out to visit anyone. But we're still available via our other normal means of communication like email and phone, and we're also doing video calls. So far, shipping companies are still operating as normal and we can still ship things out.

Regarding Covid-19, my main concern is not so much a personal life-threatening illness, but the potential of its consequences surmounting health-care capabilities. 

A spike of folks needing hospitalization that they may not be able to easily, or timely receive, is a definite concern.  Especially when dealing with an-until-now, unknown viral agent. 

We never know when we may need hospitalization & equipment for the Corona virus or the seasonal flu, or for other life-threatening illnesses.  Hence, the recent steps taken by federal, state and local governments in the U.S. to flatten the Covid-19 outbreak curve.

It's good to know that ~80% of the people afflicted with Covid-19 will ostensibly not need specialized care.  But if +/- 20% of people needing medical intervention were to present en masse (so to speak), things could get bad for everyone needing specialized care, very quick indeed.   

The ironic fact that Covid-19 depicts is:  that ~40,000 to 60,000 yearly fatalities are related to the seasonal flu in the U.S.  The news media as sensational as it is geared, doesn't dwell or specifically focus on this striking figure -- the fatalities have simply become "expected".  And with the exception of the annual flu vaccine and the admonition to wash hands et al, the CDC, federal and state government's have never taken the draconian steps that are now being done for Covid-19. 

So, the devil is in the details of leveling-off the outbreak frequency numbers.  Which theoretically will allow the healthcare professionals to handle the influx of those needing hospital/ICU care.  Time will tell whether these steps were sufficient, or in fact, even warranted.  But until that time, to err towards complacency as opposed to action, would seem to be a dubious and even incorrect direction to take.