SuttaCentral
It’s OK, they are just preping for the imminent zombies. 
I wonder if there is any mileage in spreading metta to COVID 19 and also to all those who are so scared by it, that the only response they see is to go out and buy guns? Or is that a step too far for metta?
May all beings be free of dis-ease. May COVID-19 too, be happy and live at ease.
This crisis is certainly bringing out the best and worst in human nature. Supermarkets here have had to introduce rationing because of excessive stockpiling by some customers. My local supermarket is now reserving the 6-9am slot for elderly and vulnerable customers, which is good to see.
I am fortunate to be retired and financially secure, but there are lots of people here in the UK facing imminent unemployment or job insecurity. We are fortunate to have the NHS, though as in most places, there are concerns about the health services being overwhelmed by a surge in seriously ill patients.
Yeah, thats the United States. It may be good to keep in mind that there are “gun people” and gun culture. And that this is a relatively small part of the population. And that their social media bubble pluss agressive marketing creates a very different reality than those outside.
It makes for a good news story, though. I dont know if it’s any consolation, but for sure 90% of the people buying guns already own many already.
The measures of social control that are being put into place fit perfectly into their fantasy that they need to be ready to battle the government.
And, yes, i think they would be a good target for our metta. Pardon the pun.
As a practicing Buddhist, doing my best to uphold the First Precept, I am disturbed by the scorched earth strategy that authorities are taking towards disinfecting every last surface with which humans might come into contact in the pursuit of eradicating Covid-19. I have seen images of crews in cities in Asia, for instance, who are spraying down everything in sight with disinfectant, killing every last thing in their path. In many places around the world workers have been employed to wipe down surfaces with disinfectant on a regular basis.
All around us there are millions of microscopic organisms, many of which are beneficial to each other and to humans. The human body itself is full of beneficial bacteria that aid in digestion. All of the disinfecting going on with the aim of eradicating Covid-19 is wiping out entire microscopic ecosystems.
I get that all manner of human activity threatens the existence of the microbiome around us. This conversation has come up before in this forum with regards to the debate over whether the First Precept requires a vegan diet. Tilling the land to grow crops disturbs the world of microscopic organisms. So obviously, human existence (or the existence of any animate species, for that matter) comes at the expense of other living beings (a horse swatting a fly can kill the fly). But there is something unsettling about the indiscriminate mass disinfecting campaign in response to Covid-19 that seems so at odds with the Noble Eightfold Path.
Edit: It also is rather disturbing, and rather un-Buddhist-like, the way that captive species were kept in wildlife markets in China which allowed the Covid-19 virus to spread from one species to another, in ways that would not have occurred in nature.
I do not disagree. There was a discourse that claimed that a harmful governor can cause corruption in the ethical development of their subjects and lead to various unhappy outcomes.
(Just noticed that it was identified and shared by another user already!):
However, unless one develops the mental skill of seeing the law of kamma operate in their direct experience, such claims might be mere speculation.
I actually also wonder this too 
In new age, spiritual, and religious circles, there is often an, in my opinion, undue emphasis only on “religious solutions” to problems, but the Buddha seemed to acknowledge the value of healthcare, since he clearly stated that the Sangha is dependent on healthcare offered by the laypeople/societals.
That beings said, perhaps this forum is not suitable for the sharing medical information and is only suitable for the Dhamma-Vinaya’s guidance regarding various topics. Perhaps the @moderators can share a reference to a rule regarding this?
There is no need to share a rule about this. This is a moderated forum, and the moderators and Administrators as well as Bhante @sujato , write and modify the rules as required, in order to acheive the goals of the site.
As you can see, from the above posts, the issue has been decided on by the whole team. It is out of compassion that this decision has been reached. The best way to provide the most accurate information is to follow the health advice available by each Nations own Health body.
There is no intention to stop access to medical information, but to ensure access to the most reliable information. This forum is NOT the place to access this. We ask you to cooperate with this position 
https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/d-d-response-and-advice-regarding-covid-19/15336
There is just so much that is disturbing about Samsara, but one thing is for sure, it provides great motivation to work towards lessening the Dukkha 
That makes sense! It seems more suitable to learn medical information from more suitable and reliable sources. This forum doesn’t seems suitable for learning and sharing such information.
Thank you for explaining and clarifying.
Killing bacteria and viruses don’t even fall under the precept of killing for bhikkhus and bhikkhunis. None of the spraying is done to (or targets) living being in the Vinaya sense, so this doesn’t contradict the first precept in any way. The spraying I have seen personally wouldn’t qualify as “killing every last thing in it’s path.” On the contrary, it has seemed rather perfunctory.
Further discussion on this topic (does killing bacteria and viruses break the 1st precept) would be better suited to a new thread, though. But I just wanted to clarify since disinfecting is a big part of an ethical way of dealing with this.
Things in the UK feel very uncertain at the moment, and it’s not clear whether the government’s suppression strategy is assertive enough to be effective. I worry that London (the UK epicentre) will end up like Northern Italy, with health services completely overwhelmed and fatalities soaring.
EA21.10
“What is the skilful means of someone in quest of complete security in regard to one’s life that is inevitably insecure? As for this, when a son or daughter of good family, as long as life lasts, does not kill any living being, does not brandish either a sword or a cudgel, being always guided by modesty and with a heart full of friendliness and compassion encompassing all living beings; when, as long as life lasts, he or she does not steal, is always intent upon generosity and with a heart unstained by stinginess, when, as long as life lasts, he or she is neither licentious nor induces others to be so; as long as life lasts, does not tell lies being always intent upon absolute honesty and without cheating anybody in the world; … and does not drink alcohol, thereby avoiding getting befuddled and thus being able to maintain observance of the Buddha’s moral training. This is the skilful means of someone in quest of security in regard to one’s life …
SA122
Thus have i heard. At one time the Buddha was staying at Mount Makula. Then an attendant monk by the name of Rādha said to the Buddha: “Blessed One, regarding a living being: What is called a living being?”The Buddha said to Rādha: “Being defiled by attachment to and entangled with bodily form ― this is called a living being. Being defiled by attachment to and entangled with feeling … perception … formations … consciousness ― this is called a living being.”
For me it’s a reminder about how little control we really have, the inevitability of change and instability.
I worked for the UK Ambulance Service a long time ago, I’ve just e-mailed them to say I’m available if needed.
This Washington Post article with simulator about flattening the curve is worth viewing and sharing. It creates urgency with empowerment instead of the despair, paralysis and resulting carelessness some reports may tend to trigger.
Recovery of coronavirus epicenter, China’s Wuhan gives hope to rest of world: WHO
No new cases in Wuhan ‘gives the rest of the world hope’, says World Health Organization
World gets hope as as China’s Wuhan reports no new coronavirus cases: WHO
I’d like to pay tribute to many temporary inconsolable caregivers worldwide. Let’s care for them in return by sending them lots of metta 
Thanks so much for sharing that. I hope Venerable Jayasaro is doing well.
Wise reflection by the Ven. Amaro 
:
OVER 100,000 PEOPLE HAVE RECOVERED FROM CORONAVIRUS AROUND THE WORLD
https://www.newsweek.com/coronavirus-recoveries-recovered-covid-19-china-italy-us-death-toll-johns-hopkins-1493723
VIRUS HOPE
More than 100,000 coronavirus sufferers around the world have recovered from the deadly bug
