Stay Where You Are, Beijing. It's Your Safest Option

PLEASE NOTE: What you are about to read is an opinion. You are strongly encouraged to form your own. Also, the screen shot of Samuel L Jackson from Spike Lee's seminal film "Do The Right Thing" above does not constitute an endorsement of this opinion by Mr. Jackson.

I am not an expert. Please ignore my rantings. In fact, you should probably just stop reading now.

With that out of the way, hear me out: I am staying here in Beijing, at home, for the next 14 days.

And here's why you should too.

Stay where you are for the next two weeks, for the benefit of humanity.

For your health, to stop the spread of the virus ... but most importantly of all, to stem the rising tide of mass hysteria.

From everything we've read so far, researchers and front-line medical personnel say the maximum incubation period for the Wuhan coronavirus is 14 days.

So let's play this out to its logical extreme: If we wanted to 100% nip this thing in the bud, what would we do (given a cure or vaccine is nowhere on the horizon)?

We'd isolate everyone on Planet Earth for 14 days.

Those that get sick will go to the hospital, get diagnosed, quarantined, and, hopefully, recover. Those that don't get sick will be free and clear. The chain of transmission will be broken.

Obviously, putting every human on the planet on lockdown is not possible.

But what if we -- those of us in China, where this epidemic started and is hitting hardest -- as a matter of personal choice, tried our damnedest to do this?

For every person who willingly takes 14 days to minimize their contact with others to as close to zero as possible (and protect ourselves in the process), that's one less chance this thing gets fueled exponentially.

"But Mike, we feel fine, and we haven't been to Wuhan," you say. "How DARE you (cue Greta Thunberg voice) suggest we stay put and not flee to Thailand or home or anywhere but here?"

Fair point, save your own skin first, as they say. And although I say that with a mocking tone, I totally understand that you don't want any harm come to yourself or your loved ones, and it's natural to care about you before everyone else (see: Warming, Global).

But let me explain why I think traveling puts you at higher risk than staying put.

First of all, carriers of the virus have now proven to be contagious even before they show symptoms. That means there's a chance you or a perfectly healthy-feeling other traveler has this bug.

And how about those that are already feeling ill and want out so that they can be in the comfort of their own home / medical system before seeking treatment, and will pop pills to reduce their fever just to pass the temperature checks now set up at airports? Definitely within the realm of possibility -- and someone's even been caught doing it already.

OK, so you say, no biggie, I'll mask up and lather myself with sanitizer every 3-1/2 minutes, so what's the big deal?

NatGeo (and they are legit science dudes over there) says there's definitely a chance of contracting a virus while in flight.

You can wear a mask on the plane to minimize risk. But for your whole 9-hour flight? (I can't keep a pair of socks on that long without freaking out on a trans-continental flight, let alone a face mask, but OK).

How about to scratch your nose? To have an in-flight meal? Take a sip of water? Treat yourself to the meager pack of peanuts they toss at you like it's some bonus privilege?

OK, OK, I get it, you are a man/woman of discipline. You will keep that face-bra on your snout for 9 hours un-jostled, and won't as much as rub your weary eyes (yeah, you can get the virus through your eyes) once.

That's on the plane ride itself.

• What about on your ride to the airport (additional Risk #1)?
• How about getting in line with other travelers when checking in (additional Risk #2)?
• How about the immigration counter, where you will indeed be told to remove your mask to have your photo taken (additional Risk #3)?
• How about at the security check, jowl to jowl with other travelers not even on your flight? (additional Risk #4)?
• How about getting in line to board the plane (additional Risk #5)?
• De-planing at your destination (additional Risk #6)?
• Immigration on the other end (additional Risk #7)?
• Baggage claim (additional Risk #8)?

All of these are admittedly small risks, but add them up and it's far greater than the risk of contracting the virus if you stay at home.

And let's suppose the contagious one is YOU. Yes, I said it. You wanna be your hometown's Patient Zero? Be my guest. At least you'll get your name in the paper.

It's now Jan 31. Can you really name every person you've interacted with since Jan 17? And more importantly, who THEY interacted with? Who was the passenger your DiDi driver drove just before picking you up on Jan 18? Can you say that you know?

Watch this if you feel stressed out

Imagine going home without symptoms, greeting your loved ones back home with big hugs. Then you go hang out with the friends and family you haven't seen for years to tell them your coronavirus war stories. Then, say, you head over to a crowded supermarket to stock up on Flamin' Hot Cheetos or whatever hometown snack you've been missing.

Then one day a week later you wake up with a fever.

This, my friend, is how global pandemics happen.

Don't fly home.

Don't go out partying to demonstrate how you're not worried

Don't get together with groups of friends, because hey, they couldn't possibly have it

Don't go to work. Demand your employer lets you work from home.

Don't send your kids to school. They're going to be fine with homeschooling and online learning.

Don't be brave.

If you go raging around Beijing with reckless disregard and come out unscathed, it's not because you were too smart and didn't fall prey to the hype. It'll be because you were lucky. You spun the roulette wheel and didn't hit the viral jackpot.

What you are is not brave, you are selfish and irresponsible.

Stay at home. Sit this one out. In 14 days, you will have done your part in preventing global contagion.