The shape of things to come?

This QuickTake by Bloomberg video drive-thru of Wuhan paints an eeerily post-apocalyptic image that might be straight out of Twelve Monkeys or The Omega Man. My first reaction was to avoid any stock that needs to bring people together (restaurants, cinemas, airlines, event organisers, hotels etc) as the public reaction to this coronavirus is clearly much greater the the initially muted response we have so far seen from markets. My second reaction however, is a more positive one in that the greater the precautions taken by the public to avoid transmission of this virus, there will be a greater chance of limiting the scope of it turning into a global pandemic.

A comforting thought perhaps, but maybe we will have to ride out the initial hysteria first, before chasing the rainbow.