That’s why I read the Bible... NO seriously...
The reason the schools closed in Texas is because people were TOO STUPID not to send sick children to school. I remember my days working in a Montessori School/DayCare Center back in the early 1990s. Our rule of thumb? Anyone with a fever of 101degrees was NOT allowed back to school until they had been to a doctor, had a note, and had been either fever-free for a day or two, or on antibiotics for at least 48 hours.
We HAD to do this, and we HAD to sometimes take parents aside and say — your child is sick, you CAN’T go to work today... And, these were PROFESSIONALS whose children we were looking after (it was a very expensive school, and most of the parents were lawyers, scientists, business execs, and the like).
Honestly, it ALL comes back to GREED (or selfishness).
As for the “test” attack. Very possible, IMHO. The information on how ill-prepared countries around the world are vs. others, what precautions the govt’s will take, etc... This would be very much like the “dry run” the 9/11 terrorists apparently did before that event.
If one were to go along that line of theory of a terrorist attack, it’s also possible that it “got out” before they could “perfect it”, or on accident. There’s a story out there that the particular pig farm they may have identified as “ground zero” in this was protested by local villagers complaining about the smell. OOPS... lots infected on accident, and then they can’t “containerize” it and their plans are ruined... [Note the location of the pig farm is a KNOWN Drug Cartel “ruled” area - guns, drugs, money - just the kind of folks terrorists pal around with...]
[NOTE: People may not realize this, but a pig is like the PERFECT incubator for developing a virus of this sort. As for those who say why would an Islamic Terrorist even want to be around a pig — maybe the philosophy of Taqqiya covers this sort of thing in their “jihad” manuals! LOL Or, maybe they just paid someone else to do their “dirty work”.]
If that IS the case — that this got out “on accident” before they were “finished”, then we may have “caught a break” so to speak. The problem is with viruses like these (and this one could NOT have evolved ‘naturally’ to begin with), is that they then have the ability to strengthen itself just like a “normal” flu.
OK, can’t think of all the possible scenarios for too long or it could drive one nuts! I should write these all down somewhere though — they could be great plots for novels, or screenplays (or the next season of “24”! LOL)
My sister is a day care provider and says it is routine for parents to pump their kids full of advil to get the fever down enough so they can at least go into work for a half day.
If you swing it to blaming Republicans, you have a potentially great career in the entertainment industry.