The first weekend of every month, I head down to Costco to replenish my supply of household items like toilet paper, cleaning supplies, and canned goods. This month was different. As I got close to the store, traffic slowed down to a crawl, the way it does outside an arena before a concert or sporting event.
Only, the attraction here was a mundane warehouse store parking lot that was filled to capacity.
I’ve seen Costco crowded just before major holidays, but nothing like this. It took me a little while to figure out why it was happening just then. The novel coronavirus, COVID-19, had just been found in my state, and people were reacting the way humans do when they’re scared. They were shopping for all the stuff that might be hard to find when a disaster hits — and the coronavirus feels like one, even though most people only suffer minor symptoms — and preparing for the chance that they may get quarantined in their homes for two weeks or longer.
Will you be quarantined?
Coronavirus shopping list
As always, common sense should prevail. You’re not prepping for an earthquake or hurricane. Virologists Ian M. Mackay and Katherine Arden put together a comprehensive list of items to stock in case you’re affected by the pandemic and need to stay home for a couple of weeks.
These can be divided into the following categories:
Health & well-being:
- Extra prescription medications, asthma relief inhalers
- Over-the-counter anti-fever and pain medications
- Feminine hygiene products
- Diapers
- Family pack of toilet paper
- Vitamins
Pantry:
- Baby Formula
- Canned goods
- Cereal, grains, beans, and pasta
- Oil
- Spices
- Dried fruit and nuts
- Ultra heat-treated or powdered milk
- Coffee/tea
Household:
- Trash can liners
- Tissue
- Soap
- Hand sanitizer (alcohol content must be 60% or more)
- Sanitizing wipes
- Masks (only if you are ill, to prevent spreading germs – and only if you can find one)
- Household cleaners: Disinfectant for cleaning household surfaces (if you can’t find products like Lysol, you can use bleach, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide), laundry detergent, dishwashing soap, etc.
- Disposable gloves
- Batteries for anything that needs batteries, powerbanks
- Pet food and care (i.e., cat litter, puppy pads, anti-flea meds, etc.)
“What we’re looking at here is trying to minimize the impact of any shortages of goods we rely on having at the grocery store or at the end of an online ordering system,” advised the virologists. “But don’t panic buy and don’t hoard!”
Good advice for us all.
