Should I worry about the Coronavirus. February 26, 2020

Should I worry now?  It has been a couple of weeks and things have changed as they always do but is it time to worry?   NO, but it is time to go from watching the forecast once a day to watching the news in the morning,  at lunch, at dinner and before bed.

Remember, I am still using the hurricane analogy.

Well the CDC (I will call them the weather forecaster) told us to get prepared in their press conference yesterday.  This is the same as the weather forecaster saying we are now in the 5 to 7 day cone of uncertainty.   We have to watch close but not run around in a panic.  Jim Cantore is not here and has not made flight arrangements so it is not time to worry (but I am sure he has the flight schedules out).

But it is time to get the sane preparations done.   No more putting it off.  You should do it tonight or in the morning, don't wait until Friday.  What are sane preparations?    The same things I talked about a week or so ago.   Did you take my last set of advice and make sure you topped off your normal foods?  Not running low on toilet paper are we?  Have laundry detergent and paper plates?    Do you have a this weeks and next weeks shopping done?  We now want to keep the pantry topped off.

If you are good take a breath, relax.  If not, go and take care of the shopping.  No panicking but you want to go before you are there with the crowds and all of the the bread, milk and beer is gone.  Hurricanes, snowstorms up North, it always happens this way.

Next steps in the plan for those wanting wanting to know.   When we get to the 3 day cone (aka: a small outbreak or two) then we fill up the gas cans and keep the cars filled up.   Limit our exposure to others by only going to work and getting supplies.  Stop eating out ( I will want to know who has prepared my food) and just laying low until the all clear.   In the 3-day cone, there is still a good chance it will miss us but we have to actually get serious.

Uncle Doug,  My neighbor is out buying camping food and a years worth of Beans and Rice.  Should I do that?   Nope,  That is panicking and we never want to panic.  A couple weeks of food is prudent,  a couple of years of food is over the top unless you are getting ready for the second coming.    Be prudent.