There is always someone somewhere, saying something. And then there is always someone saying something different. Someone is always right in retrospect.
I remember seeing a chinese doctor on the telly around mid-Feb, when china was being hit severely, warning their italian counterparts to take this virus seriously. They did not, and we know the consequences. More than 50% of deaths in Italy are in the Bergamo region, where the infection can now be traced back to the celebrations of Atalanta's victory in the champions League against Athletic Madrid - that match was actually played in Milan (due to Atalanta's stadium lack of conditions) - another high infection place. Milan also suffered due to Feb they have a lot of fashion events.
Portugal is most affected in the northern part, especially around Porto. Why? It is an industrial area for Portuguese fashion brands, many people go to Milan to attend, you guessed it, fashion shows. They returned to Portugal infected. By mid-March in Portugal, there were about 12 contagion chains that could be traced to Italy, Spain, and France, which is hardly surprising.
I also remember an Italian doctor on the telly, end March, warning doctors from Spain and France not to treat this as a "flu".
So yes, everybody will have something to say, that is why I only listen to doctors, nurses, hralth care specialists, and scientists from the area. It is especially important to learn from others that were hit previously, as the virus took some time to spread and gave for instance Europe at least 1 month warning, and North America 2 months.