Tallahassee residents react to coronavirus

By: Lanetra Bennett I Eyewitness News

© Provided by Tallahassee-Thomasville WCTV Tallahassee residents expressed mixed reactions to the coronavirus Tuesday morning.

March 3, 2020

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) -- As local governments ramp up their preparations to respond to the COVID-19 coronavirus, several Tallahassee residents are doing the same.

Nicholas Spinelli says there are two reactions to the coronavirus: people ignoring it and people overacting to it.

He says there should be a middle ground. Despite this, Spinelli is in one of the two camps he described.

"I think I'm more of the overreacting kind of person," he says. "I've definitely stocked up on a bunch of stuff."

Spinelli says he's already bought some supplies in case of a more widespread outbreak.

"Oh, just two weeks worth of food and rubbing alcohol and medical supplies, and stuff like that just in case those are hard to find," he says.

Many stores in Tallahassee are already running out of masks, disinfectants, and hand sanitizer.

"Not being able to buy hand sanitizer is crazy," Tallahassee resident Michael O'Connor says.

O'Connor says he is alarmed by the lack of supplies, not by the virus.

"There's good healthcare in this country and the city," he says. "So, I think people should just pay attention but not panic."

Tallahassee resident Teresa Fillmon is leaving Wednesday for Ukraine. She says she's nervous about traveling internationally.

"I'm going from 14 hours on a plane to then going by public transportation to get to the train station," she says. "Then I'm getting on a train for 14 hours. So, I'm literally going to be in a petri dish for the next two days after I leave. So yeah, it's a little unnerving."

Tallahassee resident Dena Smith says her family has cancelled their upcoming spring break trip. She's even changed regular routines, such as taking her granddaughter to an enclosed area to play.

"We're washing our hands more. We're watching the news," Smith says. "We know it's not a zombie virus, but we are concerned that if people aren't careful, it might spread more."

Everyone WCTV reporter Lanetra Bennett spoke to Tuesday says they just want the public to be conscious and careful about the virus.

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