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CDC outlines what closing schools, businesses would look like in US pandemic

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Re: CDC outlines what closing schools, businesses would look like in US pandemic

#31
post #29

Not sure if this is the right place but what would be best for one stock up on ahead of time? I'm thinking non-perishables or stuff with a high shelf life but what else should you consider buying?

It seems reasonable to make a run to Costco or Sams club to load up on dry goods and paper supplies. Better to do so now than after a panic hits. You don't have to go all doomsday prepper and get 10 year shelf life cans of beans. But maybe enough toilet paper, ramen noodles, and bottled water to last through 30 days of not wanting to leave the house much. Anecdotally, I was in Costco last week and saw a woman shoppin…

It's already happening in Italy, in places.

Re: CDC outlines what closing schools, businesses would look like in US pandemic

#32
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I haven't seen any good guides for individual and household preparedness, but I think that this guide "Interim Guidance for Preventing the Spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Homes and Residential Communities" ( https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/guidance-preve... ), especially the precautions section, can be a useful place to see what would be needed to prepare. Some things to have besides fo…

Do the N95 face masks that you can buy at the grocery even do anything to prevent the spread of coronavirus?

They certainly help people from touching their noses and mouthes, which we do all the time unconsciously and is a vector for transmission.

Re: CDC outlines what closing schools, businesses would look like in US pandemic

#33
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I haven't seen any good guides for individual and household preparedness, but I think that this guide "Interim Guidance for Preventing the Spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Homes and Residential Communities" ( https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/guidance-preve... ), especially the precautions section, can be a useful place to see what would be needed to prepare. Some things to have besides fo…

Do the N95 face masks that you can buy at the grocery even do anything to prevent the spread of coronavirus?

My understanding is that the main purpose of the mask is to prevent people who are already infected from coughing and sneezing particulate onto other people.

Re: CDC outlines what closing schools, businesses would look like in US pandemic

#34
I'm glad some people are starting to take this more seriously. We're still at least a few weeks away from a shift in mentality in the US. Right now, it's general apathy. Next, it'll be alert and preparedness. Last, it will be panic. I don't think it will reach chaos, but you certainly don't want to be at Costco in a few weeks.

There's no downside in being prepared - worst case scenario you slowly consume the perishables or donate them. In related news, Zoom's stock is surging. I wonder if Slack's stock will eventually have a similar boom.

Re: CDC outlines what closing schools, businesses would look like in US pandemic

#35

Not sure if this is the right place but what would be best for one stock up on ahead of time? I'm thinking non-perishables or stuff with a high shelf life but what else should you consider buying?

https://thepreppingguide.com/resources/

Specifically this one http://ready4itall.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/General_-_...

Re: CDC outlines what closing schools, businesses would look like in US pandemic

#36
post #2

It's looking like Coronavirus will be rocket fuel for all things remote. Work, schooling, conferences... I think we'll see a lot of new tools and processes emerge. More companies, schools, conferences being remote friendly. Anyone seeing concrete signs of this at your employer or school yet? And what other second-order effects do you think we'll see?

> It's looking like Coronavirus will be rocket fuel for all things remote. Work, schooling, conferences...

I worked at a company that was forced to go all-remote very suddenly when our office space had some issues.

We made it work, but it was a struggle. Tossing unprepared people into the deep end of remote work is not a recipe for success. Many of our employees had young children at home and no dedicated, quiet working space. Others couldn't handle the sudden change to remote communication. A few people tried to treat it like an extended vacation, doing the bare minimum to respond to e-mails from their phones. Some people excelled at remote work, but many others failed to adapt.

If anything, it turned company leadership off of the idea of remote work for a long, long time.

Re: CDC outlines what closing schools, businesses would look like in US pandemic

#37
post #31
post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems reasonable to make a run to Costco or Sams club to load up on dry goods and paper supplies. Better to do so now than after a panic hits. You don't have to go all doomsday prepper and get 10 year shelf life cans of beans. But maybe enough toilet paper, ramen noodles, and bottled water to last through 30 days of not wanting to leave the house much. Anecdotally, I was in Costco last week and saw a woman shoppin…

It's already happening in Italy, in places.

Example of waiting too long, this line for face masks in South Korea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clZzEhTZOV0

Re: CDC outlines what closing schools, businesses would look like in US pandemic

#38
post #25

The tens of millions of people in the US who are underinsured, lack sick leave, or can’t afford to miss work would seem to almost guarantee a disaster if this hits with force, no? 27% of people in the US can’t even afford a $400 emergency expense, which is (generously) the cost of maybe one visit to verify illness or moderate symptoms.

Insurance is irrelevant if there aren't enough hospital beds or medical staff/facilities to handle a widespread pandemic. I think you're focusing on the wrong issue, likely based on the political nature of the current healthcare debate. The real guarantees of a disaster are: Do businesses have enough cashflow to handle lack of just in time inventory from China if their shelves run dry? Do millions of people in the US…

> Insurance is irrelevant if there aren't enough hospital beds or medical staff/facilities to handle a widespread pandemic.

It's far from irrelevant. There are millions of people for whom a visit to the ER means bankruptcy, and should they contract the virus, they will avoid diagnosis, continue to go to work, and silently spread the disease to those who come in contact with them.

Re: CDC outlines what closing schools, businesses would look like in US pandemic

#39
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"The tens of millions of people in the US who are underinsured, lack sick leave, or can’t afford to miss work would seem to almost guarantee a disaster if this hits with force, no?" Well, I mean, yeah. Have you been watching the stock market in the past few days? Everybody's got a pretty clear view of this. But "death" has that certain finality about it. A quarantine can pass in a way that death doesn't. Even a bad o…

Apologies, I’m not following what you’re saying with regard to death vs. quarantine.

I think they're stating a preference for a quarantine, even with all its potential impacts, since not having one could result in more deaths. Quarantines being transient in nature vs death being permanent.

Re: CDC outlines what closing schools, businesses would look like in US pandemic

#40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I haven't seen any good guides for individual and household preparedness, but I think that this guide "Interim Guidance for Preventing the Spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Homes and Residential Communities" ( https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/guidance-preve... ), especially the precautions section, can be a useful place to see what would be needed to prepare. Some things to have besides fo…

A good overview food storage guide. http://extensionpublications.unl.edu/assets/pdf/ec446.pdf

These storage guidelines are incredibly paranoid.

Milk does not go bad a week after opening. Eggs don't spoil after two to four weeks in the fridge. A bag of bacon in the freezer isn't going to end you because it sat there for three months. Fruit juice doesn't go bad in 3 days. Butter doesn't go bad after two weeks at room temperate, let alone in a fridge.

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