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Barack Obama shared some realistic advice about the coronavirus.
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Obama, Common Sense Dad We Need, Urged Us To 'Follow Science' As Coronavirus Spreads

People all over the world are worrying about the COVID-19, more commonly referred to as coronavirus, panicking over how to stay safe when it feels like things are spiraling out of control. But there is one voice of reason who needs to be heard right now: Our faithful friend, Barack Obama, who urged Americans to "stay calm" amid the coronavirus outbreak and delivered the common sense dad energy we all need right now.

It's become nearly impossible to go more than an hour without hearing some sort of frightening bit of news about the coronavirus. Ever since the viral infection first took hold in the Wuhan province of China at the beginning of the year, concern and panic has spread. Not without reason, of course; the pneumonia-like infection has killed nearly 3,000 people and infected 90,000 worldwide, according to the the World Health Organization, spreading from China to other countries including Italy, Japan, and now the United States.

As of Wednesday, there were 80 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States and nine deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which continues to caution schools and workplaces to come up with possible contingency plans in case the virus spreads further and the media updates continue to pile up. Meanwhile, face masks are flying off shelves across the globe and prices are going up as demand continues to rise, according to CBS News.

But Obama, 44th President of the United States and everyone's favorite common sense dad, wants us to take a breath. "Protect yourself and your community from coronavirus with common sense precautions: wash your hands, stay home when sick and listen to the @CDCgov and local health authorities," he wrote in a tweet on Wednesday. "Save the masks for health care workers. Let’s stay calm, listen to the experts, and follow the science."

The CDC recommends getting educated about the symptoms of coronavirus as one of the best steps to prevent spreading the illness. If you have a fever, cough, and shortness of breath, then you should call ahead to see a doctor or visit an emergency room. Particularly if you have traveled somewhere with an ongoing spread of coronavirus. Keep your hands clean by frequently washing them with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds at a time. Also cover your mouth with a tissue when you cough and throw that tissue away.

As Obama said, listening to experts is a much better way to protect yourself and your community than simply buying face masks. It's not easy to stay calm in the face of a spreading viral illness, of course, which is why the world needs common sense dads like President Obama to give us a little reminder.