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I know we have a new category hold as the category structure is undergoing discussions.

I’m wondering if it would be worth making an exception for a COVID-19 category. Information about the outbreak is important, and it may be helpful to consolidate all COVID-19 articles into a subcategory of Infectious Diseases. This could make COVID-19 articles easier to find, both for readers and for volunteers looking to make helpful edits.

I know the category structure is under discussion and it may undergo large changes eventually.

This is just something for the staff to consider. And if it does seem worth it, I’d be happy to offer help however I could.

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Hi @MissLunaRose , thanks for this suggestion. I’m taking this to the team because I do think there’s value in having a category like this for our readers. However, with the current work and revamp going on with categories - and potentially an ultimate goal of having less sub-categories - I’m not sure if it will be something that is possible, so it will likely need some thought and input from other wikiHausers :) 

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I think it’s a good idea :).

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I have a question related to this - I’ve been categorizing COVID-19 articles under the “Infectious Diseases” category after consulting already-categorized articles on the same topic (seeing that that was the category they were filed under). Should we keep them under “Infectious Diseases” or file them under the subcategory of “Viral Infections”?

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@HelperOnWikihow thanks for checking in about this - I would leave them in the “Infectious Diseases” category for now. Currently the most high-level category is the best spot for them.

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Will do, thanks Jayne!

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It may be worth having. There should be a special category that we use for these global outbreaks that happen ever so often. COVID-19 should only last a few months more. I also think it’s a good idea, because there will be a lot of people coming through wikiHow looking for how to prevent this illness and how to treat it. The easier it is to find, the more helpful. Not like it’s that hard to find, it is on the home page of wikiHow.

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I don’t think a COVID-19 category will be needed. As you see, that particular virus is not likely to last for a very extended time (such as a year). The category created will then be left useless. I do think, however, that a category for epidemics might help, if there is not one presently. This is just my personal opinions, and I offer a genuine apology if I offend anybody.

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To update you on this; the team is happy to create a COVID-19 sub-category as an additional category. Once it is available, we can add articles to that category alongside the top Infectious Diseases category. We wouldn’t want to remove the high-level category, but as mentioned, adding another can help them to be found more easily.

I’ll be sure to let you know when it’s been created. Thanks!

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Thanks, Jayne! Nice call to leave the Infectious Diseases category there, too.

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Ah, that’s great! I noticed that a lot of the COVID-19 articles aren’t fully illustrated. Being able to see them all together will help me identify ones I can illustrate.:slight_smile:

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I think this would be a great idea, mostly because of all the articles about COVID-19.:slight_smile:

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We do have a new category up but it seems to be causing some issues… so let’s hold off from adding it to articles just at the moment :) 

Just a reminder that when we do add it, we want to keep high-level categories as well, but it can be used in addition to any existing categories. 

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To clarify: is it OK to add 3 categories to COVID-19 articles then (once it’s no longer buggy)?

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We’re back in business! The COVID-19 category is good to go, and yes @MissLunaRose it’s ok to have 3 categories :) 

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i think its a good idea verry helpfull:slight_smile:

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Well, @Princessbabyca6 we have a thread for that already. Also, bumping threads is a little rude

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The category exists here .

We could mark this thread as closed since the category was created.

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Bump - once the pandemic is over, could we mark all articles on this subject historical?

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As much as we’re looking forward to being able to say the pandemic is historical, I think we will likely want to wait some time before deciding on what to do with COVID-19 articles. It will definitely be an important discussion to have at some point, though!