The novel coronavirus has infected more than 153,000 people and has killed over 5700 people so far around the world. World health organization (WHO) has declared Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) a pandemic last Wednesday on 11th March.
A pandemic is “Worldwide spread of a new disease,” as defined by WHO. I have never seen anything like this in my whole life that has taken the world by storm. It has spread to over 140 counties in a matter of some months as the first case of coronavirus can be traced back to 17th November 2019.
Schools and universities are shifting to online learning and a lot of companies including Apple allowed their employees to work from home.
According to the Center for disease control, the risk of getting exposed to the virus is still very low for Americans. However, if we don’t take precautionary measures at this time, it’s going to get a lot worse. And taking precautionary measures means social distancing and self-quarantining.
It’s our only chance of stopping this pandemic until experts find a permanent solution.
If you are thinking about preparing for a self-quarantine, you have to understand a simple thing. You need to stock up two weeks of food and water in your house for every single person including your pets, as recommended by the US Department of Homeland Security.
That doesn’t mean that you should start hoarding. You just need to stock up based on your necessities. If we start clearing out store shelves just so we can live in peace, other deserving people will have to suffer.
We can’t fight such a pandemic if we start acting like it’s every man for himself. We need to fight it together. If our community is affected by a coronavirus, we are going to get in trouble eventually.
So, I am going to share everything you should buy if you are quarantined at home during the coronavirus pandemic.
You can’t survive without eating so the first thing on your list should be buying food for your whole family. Since you won’t be going out of your house during this time, dry goods such as oats, pasta, beans, rice, etc. should be your top priority. They not only have a long shelf life but it’s easier for you to store them as well.
Buying fresh vegetables, fruits and meat are obviously necessary and you can store them in your freezer. However, there will be some days you won’t feel up to cooking, for such days you need to have some frozen foods as well. All you have to do is to put them in the oven for some time and you can have a tasty meal.
Snacks might not be your priority but it shouldn’t feel like you are trying to survive an apocalypse so having some chocolates, chips, and sweets might be a great idea.
For most of you who live in the US, you won’t have to worry about this. But if you live in an area where tap water isn’t drinkable, you need to stock water as well for the next two weeks.
Food and water aren’t the only things you need to store for self-quarantine. You need to have enough household hygiene products in your quarantine kit as well.
According to the CDC’s recommendations, washing hands with soap and water is better at getting rid of the germs than hand sanitizers. As you will be home during this time so there is no need to buy hand sanitizers as soap will do the work.
The other products that you need include toilet papers, tissues, bathroom sundries, and feminine care products.
If you have children, don’t forget about the diapers and other baby products you can think of.
Yes, you are going to be self-quarantined. You may or may not be affected by a coronavirus. However, not having coronavirus doesn’t mean that you are not going to need some medical supplies.
So, make sure to stock up to 30 days of over the counter or prescription medicines you use. As most of the prescription drugs have quantity limits, you need to talk to your doctor who can help you submit a quantity limit exception form.
During your self-quarantine, you need to be ready to treat minor injuries to avoid going outside. That’s why you should have a family first aid kit to treat common injuries.
If you or someone in your home uses any kind of hearing aid, it’s better to stock up batteries for the quarantine.
Other medical supplies that you might need are contact lenses, glasses, and contact solution. All of you might not need these things but we are giving you n idea about what you might need during this time. So, if there is anything that you might need during your self-quarantine, go ahead and stock it up enough for 14 days.
Some of over the counter medicines you must have are pain killers, vitamins, cold and flu medicine.
It might not be on your priority list but it’s as much important as any other thing on the list. If you won’t take care of your mental health, coronavirus will be the least of your problems.
First of all, if you are allowed to work from home, you need to figure out what you are going to need to keep working during your quarantine. If you keep working, you won’t feel alone as you will be contributing to something.
You can’t work all day just to feel good. You need to leverage this opportunity to spend some time with your family. You can do a couple of activities together including reading books, board or card games or you can prepare your meals together. So, make sure you have everything at home to enjoy this time together with your family.
If you don’t have children, make sure your wifi and Netflix membership is already paid for as you will be spending quite a lot of time there.
World health organization (WHO) has declared Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) a pandemic and the following shows the severity of the Coronavirus across the globe.
