In times of crisis and stress people often try to help each other out by passing along information they have gathered. This is a commendable act, usually done with the best of intentions. But with the proliferation of information sources available to us now, it is easy to pass incorrect information.
Even if one's intentions are good, it is possible to do harm by spreading misinformation. Please do due diligence in checking any information you wish to share with others to ensure it is accurate and up-to-date. Some of the information being spread online now is not only ineffective, it can be dangerous. (Do not consume bleach!)
These are some reliable sources of information about the COVID-19 virus.
- CDC's COVID-19 Main Page: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/index.html
- California Dept. of Public Health (CDPH): https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/ncov2019.aspx
- CDPH Press Releases: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA/Pages/New-Release-2020.aspx
- Travel Guidance from CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html
- Social Distancing: https://hub.jhu.edu/2020/03/13/what-is-social-distancing/
- COVID-19 Tracking Map (Johns Hopkins): https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6
- Inyo County Public Health Dept: https://www.inyocounty.us/services/health-human-services/public-health-and-prevention-division
- Mono County Public Health Dept: https://monocovid19-monomammoth.hub.arcgis.com/
If you see a post on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or email that sounds especially intriguing, perhaps it's different than what you've been hearing, I recommend checking with the website snopes.com to see if it is a hoax. It's not infallible, but is a good test for hoaxes. An easy way to to this is to type part of the title or text of the post into Google and add the word snopes.com at the end.
Don't forget that gardening can be a relaxing way to enact social distancing!