Hello again, I'm Orman Alney, not coming to you from the studios of KCRW in Santa Monica.

Instead, I'm on a special online hookup and I'm at home in Los Angeles.

My wife and I are locked down for the moment.

Of course, that's because of the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.

It is inconvenient.

We didn't stock up a lot and we have to order food and other supplies and it can be a long wait.

Sometimes we get what we want and sometimes we don't.

But it's worth it.

We don't want to get COVID-19 and we don't want to spread it, which we might do

without even knowing. So we'll do what's required in our own interests and in the interests of

everybody around us as well. And also, Marsha and I get along. We like each other. So it's not so bad.

Anyway, that's where we're going to start

this edition of To the Point. The last time we spoke with Professor Philip Alcabes was during

the H1N1 outbreak in 2009. That was just over a decade ago. He's director of public health

in Hunter College in New York, and he is author of Dread.

How Fear and Fantasy Have Fueled Epidemics from the Black Death to the Avian Flu.

Professor, I want to welcome you back. I'm almost sorry I have to.

It's a pleasure to talk to you, but it's sad that it has to be under these circumstances.

Okay, so I'm at home. Where are you?

Also at home. They have canceled in-person classes, so we are teaching remotely.

So what does that mean? How do you teach remotely? How does it work?

Hmm. Different, various online programs.

...