Tesla CEO Elon Musk posted a tweet saying "coronavirus panic is dumb" after it was reported that several countries had registered new cases of the disease in the past 24 hours.
The coronavirus panic is dumb
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 6, 2020
Netizens were quick to respond to the post with comments of their own.
I'm sure it seems like that from SPACE. All you can see is a blue marble with some interchangeable profit centers on it.
— Elie Mystal (@ElieNYC) March 6, 2020
Agreed elon they did the same over global warmin and its still snowing in lots of places
— Ned (@Nedsfeed) March 6, 2020
It’s not the end of the world. Will be fine.
— Vincent (@vincent13031925) March 6, 2020
Some users, however, considered the tweet upsetting, while others posted sarcastic comments implying that Musk was underestimating the issue.
Thank you for stopping it Elon
— Cryptic (@CrypticNoOne) March 6, 2020
any panic is dumb really. preparation, however, is not dumb
— Eric Anderson (@ec_anderson) March 6, 2020
COVID-19 originated in Hubei province in late December and has since claimed the lives of more than 3,000 people in mainland China. Outside China, South Korea, Italy, and Iran remain the countries most affected by the new disease.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a global health emergency over the coronavirus outbreak.