“... The only thing we have to fear is fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and of vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory.”

— Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first inaugural address, March 4, 1933

I shopped at my local grocery store late Saturday afternoon. It was packed. The vibe was similar to when weather forecasters predict huge snowstorms.

But it had been a warm sunny day.

I asked the cashiers what was up: Coronavirus, they said.

“There’s been a case in Guilderland,” said one.

I’d posted a news story the day before, on Friday, March 6, about a notice emailed by the Guilderland schools superintendent. A family with a child in Lynnwood Elementary School was voluntarily staying home because a parent had a colleague who may have been exposed to the virus.

That is very different than there being a confirmed case of coronavirus in Guilderland.

I had reported in our last edition, March 5, on a press conference hosted by Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy, featuring Elizabeth Whalen, the county’s health commissioner. 

“We don’t want people to panic,” said McCoy. He noted there was a lot of “misinformation” around the virus that first was noted in Wuhan, China in December and has since spread around the world.

“We have to put out the right information,” McCoy said.

So far, so good. Informing people accurately is a way to avoid panic.

But when I called the county executive’s office on Friday to find out more about the Lynnwood family, I couldn’t get the information that was needed.

The Guilderland schools superintendent was forthcoming with the information she had: The co-worker of the Lynnwood parent had been tested for COVID-19 and the results were pending.

But the superintendent had not been told if the co-worker was an Albany County resident; many children who attend Lynnwood Elementary School have parents who work in the neighboring county of Schenectady.

When I explained this to a county spokesman, all I got was a blanket statement: “County Executive McCoy has reached out to the Albany County Department of Health and confirmed that there are no positive cases of the Novel Coronavirus in the Town of Guilderland, nor anywhere in Albany County, at this time.”

I tried again, explaining that I needed to find out if this statement meant the Lynnwood family who had been quarantining themselves were now cleared of exposure to the disease.

All I got was a reiteration of the statement that there were no positive test results for the coronavirus in Albany County.

We’re pleased to report that the Lynnwood situation was happily resolved by Monday; the school district posted the news: “The source of the possible exposure tested negative for the virus. The self-quarantine has ended as of March 9, 2020.”

But the larger point still stands: Information to be useful and calm public fears must be specific enough to be meaningful. And it must be timely.

Certainly, if — perhaps we should say when — the virus travels to our coverage area, The Enterprise isn’t interested in publishing specific names or addresses of individuals who are unlucky enough to have been exposed to the virus. We want just enough information to adequately inform the public.

My daughter, a reporter for a fact-check organization, has been puncturing many falsehoods on the internet about the coronavirus. One of her stories debunked online posts with various false claims for curing the coronavirus, ranging from eating boiled garlic to drinking industrial bleach.

That story made it into the opening jokes on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” “Don’t drink bleach: A, It’s bad for you, and, B, it ruins the taste of the Tide pods,” Colbert quipped as the audience roared.

Humor can relieve tension and provide its own kinds of insights. But we urge people to get information from sources they can trust.

We’re pleased in general with the serious approach taken by New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo. He saw from the outset that quick and accurate testing for the virus was going to be essential.

Testing at the state’s Wadsworth Lab was approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration in late February. Formerly, tests had to be sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Washington, D.C. where there was a backlog with the volume of requests.

He pushed again last week to get permission to have private-lab testing as well.

Cuomo has also announced that he will amend his paid sick leave budget proposal to specifically protect people who stay home from work because they are being isolated or quarantined as a result of novel coronavirus.

Further, he has issued a directive requiring New York insurers to waive cost-sharing for coronavirus testing. Currently, all COVID-19 tests conducted by the state’s Wadsworth Lab in Albany are fully covered, the governor announced.

Most importantly, he has held regular press conferences, updating the public on the latest count of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state.

When he announced on Saturday evening the tally of 89 statewide — by Wednesday, the count was 212 — Cuomo stated, “There are going to be more cases because we are testing more people — that’s a good thing because then we can deal with the situation based on more facts. We know about 80 percent of those infected will self-resolve. The best way to calm anxieties is to demonstrate absolute government competence, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

Also on Saturday, Cuomo declared a disaster state of emergency for New York State. This should not panic people; rather, it should calm us to realize measures are being put in place to be used if needed. We want a government that is active, rather than passive or reactive, in containing this disease.

The declaration is, among other things, to help in getting cleaning supplies and hand sanitizers, to allow qualified medical professionals other than doctors and nurses to conduct tests for COVID-19, to expedite leasing of lab space, to allow first responders to transport patients to quarantine locations other than just hospitals, and to provide a clear basis for price-gouging and enforcement investigation.

On Saturday, Cuomo also directed the Department of State's Consumer Protection Division to launch an investigation into reports of unfair price increases of consumer products such as household cleaning supplies and hand sanitizer. A toll-free hotline — 1-800-697-1220 — has been set up so you can call if you suspect price-gouging.

The Division of Consumer Protection has also set up an online consumer complaint form so you can report suspected price gouging or concerns about improper delivery of quantity. Credible complaints will be referred to the New York State Attorney General's office.

We hope citizens make use of this hotline and form; price-gouging in the midst of an epidemic is unconscionable.

Also on Saturday, Cuomo announced travel insurance companies and travel agents will offer New York residents and businesses the ability to purchase coverage when making travel plans that would allow them to cancel a trip for any reason, including for reasons related to COVID-19.

On Monday, Cuomo announced that hand sanitizers, made by prisoners, would be distributed for free to high-risk communities.

On Tuesday, he mandated a one-mile containment zone in New Rochelle, the center of the state’s outbreak, which closes schools, places of worship, and other large gathering venues for two weeks, starting Thursday. The National Guard, Cuomo said, will disinfect common areas and help deliver food.

Releasing key information coupled with an assertive response is the best way to keep the public calm in the midst of the spreading virus.

While we commend New York State on its response, the virus, of course, is not contained by state boundaries.

Just as we are pleased New York State has aggressively committed itself to green energy, the carbon released elsewhere — as our nation rolls back environmental protections — could doom the world. So, too, with containing this virus.

We need national leadership that is informed and honest. Testing needs to be handled efficiently, information needs to be reported truthfully, and treatment and containment protocols have to be developed and funded expeditiously.

That is the way to calm the public and perhaps the stock market as well.