@Topdude: Here's one thing I would definitely never do in a crisis like this. I would never ever order a shut down of the food stores, drive-thru restaurants and pharmacies. In fact I would order that these essentail businesses remain open during their normal business hours and days of the week to the extent reasonably possible. Some reduction in the business hours of the food stores may be necessary to allow store staff added time for cleaning and re-stocking of shelves. Government should provide adequate police presence at these essential business establishments to enforce the orderly conduct of all customers, including physical distancing. Store owners with police support and assistance would need to limit the number of customers in their stores to help adhere to the minimum 6 foot distancing requirement. The first hour and a half that an essential buiness is open each day should be exclusively reserved for customers age 60+ and/or who are disabled. This too should be strictly enforced by police presence and support to verify age by photo ID or substitute discetionary visual inspection of the customer, i.e. the customer clearly appears to be a senior or disabled person.

Nowhere in the US has access to essential businesses like food stores, drive-thru restaurants and pharmacies ever been restricted for fear of causing panic that possibly incites or results in widespread mass rioting and looting. The US President and State Governors are doing everything possible to avoid unecessary panic among Americans and our leaders would be wise to do likewise.

What took you so long to realise he's a born loser? I'm fearful he will take down our country by instigating, through his sillier orders and obvious power trip, riots and looting. The more he tightens his 'way-too-late' and now over-bearing restrictions, the more desperate the public becomes. One has to wonder whether he's deliberately inciting a widespread sense of despair more deadly than the Red China Virus itself.

> “What is happening to the cruise industry is heart-breaking,” Mr D’Aguilar told Tribune Business.

This little kiss arse marsh mallow headed dim wit, along with tweedle-dumb Minnis, should be heart-broken over having put all of our country's fragile economic eggs in the despicable cruise ship industry's very greedy and high risk basket.

I readily admit I should have said the ruthless and evil Xi Jinping led communist regime instead of "yellow race" which has a racist connotation. My apologies, especially to the great people of the real China a/k/a Taiwan.

....ditto that....

James Smith is both a pseudo-economist and a certified dork of the highest order.

The Tribune's Business Editor (Neil Hartnell) must be connected to him in some way because he's always giving this despicable PLP dinosaur, who will kiss anyone's butt for his supper, the time of day.

The moment I saw Smith's very dated photo above, I just had to write this comment.....knowing full well that it would be a waste of time reading whatever garbage he had to say.

The Tribune's headline to this article should much more appropriately read "Sad News."

Sensationalizing this crisis to increase readership should be beneath The Tribune's Chief Editor.

Wishing you a speedy recovery from your terrifying ordeal.

This can only be done by US Coast Guard air lifting them by helicopter to a secure facility at an airport in South Florida pending the arrival of aircraft from their home country to take them home.

I needed that good laugh on your position with respect to the alphabet order grocery shopping. Many thanks.

They just don't have anywhere near enough of the testing kits. In fact they likely have so few of them that they would be embarassed to make the number known to the public. It's also why they are silent about the total number of persons tested to date.