Sigh…..
It is going to get worse before it gets better.
It is saddening to watch the news about the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 here and around the world.
Emergency preparedness is essential. I live in a country that has had devastating earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, floods, and volcanic eruptions. People are recommended to always have at least some emergency supplies on hand, because you never know when the “big one” is coming.
For the coronavirus emergency, one of the recommendations is to have a two-week supply of food and supplies on hand. Two weeks worth of food and supplies are recommended since that is the proposed length of self-quarantine (because the incubation period for novel coronavirus is estimated to be up to 14 days).
Two-weeks worth of food and supplies is a lot of stuff, especially for a family. That requires some forward-thinking.
I saw news reports about panic-buying and hoarding that have left supermarket shelves empty in some areas around the world.
The supermarket in our area still has quite a lot of food, although some things (such as ramen noodles and frozen foods) are scarce. The local supermarket was initially sold out of paper products such as toilet paper and tissues, but the store now has a limited supply. Understandably, purchase quantities are limited for some products. I really hope that people do not hoard things and try to resell them to make a profit. It is a sad world where new regulations are put in place to stop the sale or resale of things such as masks at exorbitant prices.
Not downplaying this, I believe that things will get worse before they get better, on all fronts, including the economic impact.
Schools, events, and other gatherings have been cancelled here in an effort to reduce or slow down the spread of the novel coronavirus. In addition to the measures noted in a previous post (see here), people are strongly urged to practice “social distancing”. There has not been a total lockdown in my area yet.
I am trying my best to do what I can and I have severely limited going out. Hopefully others will too.
It will take a united effort to try to slow the spread of the virus.
Stay safe and healthy. Stay positive. And don’t panic, that’s important too.