Almost — but not quite — a month later, this way of life, recently unthinkable, has become routine. The new norm, as they say. We hear about nothing else. The televised national news is all about coronavirus, the novel coronavirus, the COVID-19 virus or simply “the virus.”

The correct, scientific name for the new virus currently running our lives is SARS-CoV-2. This is the name of the virus itself; COVID-19 is an acronym for “coronavirus disease 2019,” the disease caused by the virus.

“This is not life as usual,” Gov. Cuomo said. “Remain indoors…