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Because of the coronavirus pandemic, there are limited options for entertainment. While everyone is on lockdown, we’ve run through countless Netflix and Hulu binges. Luckily, the streaming services are continuing to produce new content and now people are asking for some help.
A petition has been started that is asking streaming services to drop their monthly subscription fees.
The idea behind the petition is to encourage people to stay at home and quarantine while we wait for the all-clear to go back to our regular lives. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like that is going to happen anytime soon.
“Netflix and representatives for the other streamers had no immediate comment,” Entertainment Weekly reported.
The petition reads:
During a worldwide viral pandemic, social distancing and personal quarantine is vitally important to stem the risk of spreading disease. As a result, right now millions of people worldwide are keeping themselves at home in order to prevent community spread of the COVID-19 virus.
While this is a heroic and necessary challenge, it also runs the risk of boredom and isolation, which can lead to depression, among other factors. Many people are turning to their streaming services to alleviate their monotony. The problem with this is that many people cannot afford these membership fees, especially in a time like now when many people’s economic livelihood is already strained.
Therefore, this petition asks that all worldwide streaming services inact [sic] a temporary 60 day stoppage of membership charges, as well as per-movie rental fees.
The coronavirus mainly comes from animals and a majority of those who were infected early either worked at or frequently visited the Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, according to The Guardian. The virus is similar to Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers).
The Wuhan coronavirus is transmitted from person to person through “droplet transmission.” That means an infected person can pass the virus by sneezing or coughing on another person as well as by direct contact.
While a majority of the cases have been detected in the United States and China — with more than 47,900 deaths in the United States — it has now reached many countries around the world. It has also been confirmed in Italy, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and many other eastern countries.
