The government is urging us to stay away from one another as much as possible.

But at the same time our kids are going to school where they're spending hours in classrooms and on playgrounds with their friends.

Why is that?

On the show today:

* Should I send my kids to school?

* Should you be patting dogs right now?

* Why are more people in Italy dying than in China?

In this episode Dr Norman Swan and Tegan Taylor also talk about how long viruses can thrive on different surfaces — from cardboard to steel.

Coronacast is a daily podcast that's all about answering your coronavirus questions. 

If you want to send in a question, go to abc.net.au/coronavirus and we might answer it tomorrow on the podcast.