My wife and I are so Generation X that when we realized Morrissey was on tour, it took us all of about three minutes to decide to buy tickets.

Friday March 20, at the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan.

Granted, we have logistics to work out. We need a sitter, for example. But then, it also hit me: Wait. Coronavirus.

Are we going to feel like risky idiots in a few weeks, going to a packed concert in a 2,000-seat ballroom?

I mean, I know President Trump insists there's no reason to worry, no risk at all in say, packing the 8,600-seat Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte last night.

But at the same time, there's a backlash against shaking hands in the U.S., and companies are asking their workers to stay home. Some Catholic churches are announcing no wine at communion.

Overseas, Switzerland has banned all gatherings of more than 1,000 people. (One thing about the Swiss: they don't mess around when it comes to safety.)

It all kind of reminds me of the 1986 song by the Morrissey-led band, The Smiths: aptly named, Panic.

The appropriate, responsible thing to do here, I suppose, is to remind America how to wash your hands (see below), and that thousands of workers are asking for permission to work from home as a result of coronavirus.

Thousands of equally responsible bosses are telling them, yes go right ahead.

So, a few tips, from a survey a few years back. Nothing too earth-shattering, and they’re not going to be much use if you work in a restaurant or a hospital, I grant you —or something else where you have to be there physically.

But if you're new to the work-from-home thing:

1. Dedicated space: "a place to do your work where other things can't overwhelm you." Especially: Try to work in a separate room (one with a door).

2. Splurge a bit, especially when it comes to ergonomics.

3. Start with your desk and chair. Oh, and the lighting. And your storage.

Honestly, I don't know how long this is going to last. A few months from now, maybe Coronavirus will seem like the Y2K of 2020.

I hope so. I’d prefer if the whole thing petered out. Selfishly, I’m looking forward to Morrissey.

Although, if you ever want to feel really young and in shape, and within shooting distance of your ideal weight—I have some related advice from personal experience:

Go see Billy Joel, instead.

7 other things worth a click

1. Did I share this before? I meant to. Speaking of GenX, a quite revealing interview with Ben Affleck. (New York Times)

2. Super Tuesday is today. Not yesterday, which was Monday, but which I accidentally said in yesterday’s email newsletter. If you went to vote a day early because of me, I apologize. (BBC)

3. The death of Jack Welch. (CNBC)

4. Activist investor buys a huge stake in Twitter to try to force out CEO Jack Dorsey. (Bloomberg)

5. Judge Judy, the highest-paid person on TV, is moving on. (Hollywood Reporter)

6. With shortages in sight, here’s how to make your own hand sanitizer and wipes. (Business Insider)

7. They say sing happy birthday twice, but here are some more enjoyable musical hooks to sing, so you’ll remember to wash your hands for long enough. Examples: Fleetwood Mac's Landslide, Prince's Raspberry Beret, Lizzo's Truth Hurts, etc.(Twitter)

   Jen Monnier @JenMonnier

   You're supposed to wash your hands for 20 sec, which is the time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice. But I'm tired of singing Happy Birthday and you probably are too, so I've done the very important public service of compiling other songs with roughly 20 sec choruses to sing:

   March 2nd 2020

   44,739 Retweets122,108 Likes

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