Island nations have a huge advantage. It would be foolish not to take advantage of it. We've still got plenty of people out and about. I've been to the supermarket today, normal shopping behaviour from everyone around me. A bit quiet at a community event my daughter worked at yesterday but the beaches were packed (well, what we consider packed) and people were getting on with life. The food trucks at the event had had other bookings cancelled and were pleased that one was still going. I've no doubt businesses will be hurting and it's hard to build in a buffer for "what if there's a pandemic" but that's where a little bit of socialism is good because those businesses will get a compensation package.
First off, you do not cite the source of this news or the source that they were relying on. In these days of fake news, it is really easy to provide hearsay, unsubstantiated "quotes" that serve the purpose of the fake news provider or the political machines behind them. This is very likely fake news, btw, because it does not make sense when you think about it for more than a minute. Any virus vaccine that is developed will work for any human, not just a U.S. human. Are you and the article claiming that the U.S. would not share the science if an effective vaccine is developed? Kind of silly, isn't it? Second, as @qwikad states, every country is doing what is best for their own country as has been the case for millennia and as we see with NZ's new border policies (even more amusing if you think about all of the handwringing and inane comments that have been made over the years about the "unreasonable" immigration policies of the U.S., btw.) Finally, perhaps you can advise the logic of why Trump or the U.S. would do what your "news article" suggests? I must be missing something. LOL, it is amusing, as I briefly stated above, when people around the world expect the U.S. to be the world's defensive force, its police force, and now its healthcare provider? Of course, their own country can do whatever it pleases in the name of national sovereignty. They can restrict their borders, focus only on their own population's health, forget about making donations to less fortunate countries, etc., and that is really good. If the U.S. does anything like that, it is really bad, despite the fact that we make more donations and offer more assistance to other, less fortunate countries than all of the rest of the world combined. Of course, this has been going on for many, many decades and Trump is simply the first president in a long time to point out the unfairness of other Western countries not carrying their fair share (e.g., NATO) as they expect us to do.
And that is not the worst of it. New Zealand's skinny prime minister has banned all imports of tinfoil hats! Without them how can they ever hope to cure the Corona virus? It appears that one of their citizens did not follow instructions and instead of a baked potato they placed a kiwi inside the baking apparatus option. It was never designed for kiwis! The thing caught fire and the citizen ended up in intensive care in a Wellington hospital.
And, of course, that voids the warranty. Kiwi fruit is explicitly banned from baking per page 523 (Section 86.2.9) of the Users Manual.
Your vending machines are an ideal subject for contract negotiations. The baked potatoes will pair splendidly with my tinfoil protected dehydrated hiker meals. One idea to consider is tinfoil charging outlets for the machines to provide further convenience for my customers.
Things are getting out of hand lately. I took my tinfoil hat (deluxe model with the toilet paper dispenser on top) off and laid it down on my chair when I was eating out yesterday. I went back outside to get something from my car. I came back only to see that someone had stolen the roll of toilet paper out of it! I realize that toilet paper is now worth it's weight in gold, but frankly speaking....this is a bit much!
Seriously, can you imagine being a toilet paper marketing executive right now? They did nothing new, as far as I am aware, yet sales are up like perhaps never before and for no good reason other than lemming-like behavior on the part of the public. Kind of like hitting the lottery, I suppose. Could have been plastic forks and knives or windshield washer fluid or socks for all the help that excess toilet paper will provide anyone. One funny thing though about the toilet paper hoarders: they are obviously optimists from the perspective that they expect that they will be eating quite well the next few weeks.
Out here it is very difficult to even find stocked shelves with toilet paper anymore, even though the prices were all jacked up. I saw on the news where profiteers are selling toilet paper, hand sanitizers, paper masks, etc. from the back of their trucks to shut ins like the elderly and the ill. I understand that people are now resorting to buying napkins as toilet paper has gotten expensive. What's next, will they be buying paper towels and cutting them up to toilet paper sheet size? None of it makes any sense.
It does make sense from a fear mongering perspective: the press is showing just how naïve, gullible, and superficial the general public (aka low-information citizenry) is. They tell them that this is a bigger deal than the Bubonic Plague and that there is no vaccine or cure. In the Middle Ages, the public would begin burning witches to appease the gods. Now, it buys toilet paper to feel better.
In Canada they are debating taking blood from infected people who have totally recovered and giving this blood via injections to front line health workers. The theory is that this blood will be full of anti bodies. While not a vaccine it will keep the doctors, nurses, and paramedics safe. Any thoughts on this? It sounds a bit radical, but I can see some logic to it.
I only know, in-depth, the science of tinfoil hats, but I do recall hearing about immunity being passed to people through blood transfusions. I also recall that breast milk passes on immunity from mother to child, I assume because of blood borne immunity. Might just work...
Someone just sent me this article from a Canadian doctor: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-strictly-by-the-numbers-the-coronavirus-does-not-register-as-a-dire/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=Referrer%3A+Social+Network+%2F+Media&utm_campaign=Shared+Web+Article+Links&fbclid=IwAR1zo955WAXZmzwtWuyZCHu9cRyq66ZW_2ogWhav0PKzWOs5vcw2ovTVvQY A voice of reason from a very experienced physician. The math is the math. Doesn't sell newspapers/clicks and doesn't help to take down Trump, but the math is the math.
Thank God for innovative inventers like you. Thomas Edison...eat your heart out. I know that no germ/virus on earth can touch me as long as I'm wearing my tinfoil hat! *stock piling toilet paper just in case
Saw a meme earlier where someone said the TP hoarding didn't bother them at all. They have abundant numbers of mismatched socks.
They will be demanding it, I bet. Since you have the Deluxe version, it is important to stay well-stocked with TP to keep it in tip top condition. Smart move.