What spreads the coronavirus?

Neil's Note: This was a follow-up to my earlier comment at Watts Up with That about the corona virus in the Netherlands.

My reading of the conditions under which this virus spreads most effectively are:

(1) large public gatherings,
(2) high-density housing (e.g. large blocks of high-rise flats),
(3) public transport.

I find it interesting that the UN’s WHO, on grounds supposedly of protecting us against harmful health impacts from air pollution, recommends “prioritizing rapid urban transit”, “rail interurban freight and passenger travel” and “making cities more green and compact.” In the name of protecting our health from pollution, they want to force us all into compact cities, that are perfect breeding grounds for infectious diseases! Hasn’t the WHO shot itself in the foot here?

As to lockdowns: Large public gatherings have been banned almost everywhere affected, even in Iceland – and in my view, rightly so. And that should continue until the virus is all but gone from each country. But other aspects of the lockdowns are more dubious, for example forcing prolonged closure of “non-essential” shops in smaller towns. And what is deemed “essential” is, ultimately, a rather subjective choice. The question is, do these aspects of the lockdowns “work” (whatever that means), or will they cause more damage in the long run than they save in the short run?