I’m sure you’ve heard about the coronavirus by now. Also called COVID-19, the coronavirus has spread from China to multiple countries now.
Much of China is on lockdown and global manufacturing is at a standstill, as China manufactures a lot of consumer products as well as provides the raw materials for many other goods sold across the globe.
Worse yet, the ingredients of many pharmaceuticals (i.e., prescription drugs) are sourced in China. Many generic drugs are manufactured there.
This “global economy” could very well kill us. It will certainly inconvenience most of the world as plants across China have been shut down while many of their one billion plus residents are stranded in home or hospital quarantine.
What is a prepper to do?
Well, if you’ve been paying attention and doing all the things recommended here and on other prepper sites, you’re already ready.
The one thing I’d say you may be remiss, because we haven’t talked about it here, nor have I read about it on other sites (well, until now) is that if you have any prescriptions to fill, you may be out of luck, as we get most of our generics from China.
(Side note here: This isn’t about business anymore. It’s about national and global security. We are all fucked when we put all our eggs in one basket and then the basket gets blown up.)
But that’s where we are.
As for other measures, you probably have enough food and water stored away, as well as other essential products that will help you endure a “shit just hit the fan” scenario for a few weeks.
But this could get much worse than a few weeks. The President has said the coronavirus may “go away” when it warms up. This is actually true, to some extent. The “cold & flu” season is wintertime. And since COVID-19 is a variant of the common cold (both are coronaviruses), it most likely will flourish under the same seasonal time periods.
Of course, we don’t know for sure yet.
However, with the rapid spread of this virus across the planet, and it seems to be accelerating, we may have a time to go (a month or two) before things subside. In that time, million could be infected; billions may be exposed.
And then in just a few month, we hit the fall/winter season again.
If people weren’t exposed to it the first go-round, they didn’t build any immunity to it. Thus, the infection may raise its head again come Fall.
It’s probably not prudent to stock up on masks just yet. Besides, you probably cannot, as the store shelves (virtual and real) are bare. Everybody beat you to the punch by now.
But you can take some “common sense” measures like the following:
- Don’t go out in public unless you have to
- Wipe down surfaces with disinfectant (alcohol-based) in public places (like your job)
- Wash your hands with warm soap and water for at least 30 seconds every time you use the restroom, cough or sneeze, or touch a surface others may have touched
- Since the virus can technically live on a surface for several days (unknown duration at this time), wipe down surfaces
- Money may be a harbinger of the virus
- Refrain from routine doctor visits
- Refrain from public transportation
So, in a sense, treat this like a badass flu. Reduce possible exposure, keep up your immune system by eating fresh wholesome food, and get plenty of rest.
If you’re exposed and begin to feel symptoms, you need to get yourself to a health professional. That is when that mask will come in handy. It’s not to keep you safe, it’s to keep your germs from getting on others, as the coronavirus is spread by the liquid droplets that come from your respiratory system (when you cough or sneeze, lick, or spit).
Be safe. Be vigilant!
