However it's times like these when you can't help but be thankful that we're at least three hours away from the more densely populated areas of the country where possible exposure to the coronavirus seems more concerning.

Cities such as Sydney and Melbourne are clearly gateways to the world, so many city dwellers are welcoming the government's tighter restrictions on accepting visitors from some overseas locations.

However we would be mad to think as residents of Orange we are living in a safe zone.

We are not.

As the World Health Organisation's director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned it would be a "fatal mistake" for any country to assume it would not be hit by the coronavirus.

We all have to make sure we practice the correct hygiene methods as recommended by authorities and that if we can we stay away from those places in the world where the virus is spreading at an alarming rate.

Just when Australians have had to content with the horrendous bushfires that decimated much of our country we are now forced to deal with yet another threat to our health and well being.

Tough times ahead. Let's try to be extra kind to each other.