Sale PSA: A cool pinstriped coat from Topshop, now just $75, adorable cat print pajamas from Madewell, now just $30 with code LIKEALION (where is my size!!) and in the land of resale deals, I really really am tempted by both this Picotin MM in Etoupe with GOLD hardware, at a great price, and this great Perlee bangle which you can wear alone or stack! Also there’s this great Double Sens tote in Sikkim (yeah!!) for $1500 – I am also very tempted by this, the price is EXCELLENT and I think this would be a fun one for summer.
Okay, so this week was finally going to be a fashion post but honestly I’ve spent the entire weekend worried and thinking about COVID1-9. I’ve been obsessed with coronavirus since December – I have a whole section of my bookshelf that is “pandemic” themed. But if you’re in the U.S. you know that we finally started to realize that we’re not different or special than the rest of the world and we all began to panic in earnest this week. So here’s what I’m doing in light of current events, and it’s not a primer or guide by any means but I’d love to hear what you are doing.
Food and supplies: We haven’t gone crazy. We have some dried foods, and our supermarkets are decently stocked, so maybe I have a false sense of security, but my shopping has been normal. I had purchased a bunch of water and toilet paper more than a month ago and we’re still working through the stock. Same with hand sanitizer and hand soap…we have our normal supply + a few extra bottles but not anything like a stockpile. What’s also driving me nuts is I loathe too much clutter in my house and it would drive me crazy to have too much stuff!
Equity markets: The markets are crazy I know. And I’m sure this is going to be another volatile week. It’s Sunday as I’m writing this and we all already know it’s going to be a bloodbath on Monday. For me personally I’m ready to put in little increments over a period of about up to a year if necessary. But honestly if you are nervous about the market please don’t feel pressured that you have to “buy low!”. Nobody knows how low it will go and everyone has their own financial management habits and priorities. A lot of the people who sound so self assured on the internet (including me…if I sound that way?) may have no idea what they are talking about. Seriously!
Kids: This is what I’m truly worried about! Them getting sick, yes, but since it seems not to impact them as much it’s more that a) there are long term ramifications/impacts we don’t know about yet, and that b) they become carriers and unknowingly infect some older at risk groups. There’s also the more selfish concern that their preschool will close (“Do we still have to pay?” – my husband’s first question) – at that point I don’t know what we’re going to do, how we can keep two very very energetic toddlers entertained at home and how many isolated hikes we can take. But I am expecting our preschool to close and am preparing for it.
One thing we ARE doing – getting some more outdoor toys for our yard! One thing I did – went to our local Walmart, which I haven’t been to in a long time (don’t want to get sidetracked but it was devastating to see the formula locked up and think about the implications of such) – I got a bunch of inexpensive little toys of outside and have been doling it out for my kids to play with in my yard. I am still considering something like this…will I regret it when I have to store it all in the garage?
And finally:
Shopping local: Because local businesses are suffering, they will continue to suffer and it’s been awful to see some of the impacts already. At one of our favorite local Chinese restaurants, they were running a reduced menu because there weren’t enough orders to sustain a broader offering of food…we’ve been going to our old favorites, and even In-N-Out (dear lord!!!) was pretty empty on a Saturday. On Sunday we went to a local indie bookshop and let our kids choose a few books and I got some too (reviews upcoming once I read!). If you are in a salaried position, if your employer is letting you work from home, etc, please don’t forget all the people out there doing gig/hourly paid work whose lives will be so impacted by the economic down winds.
So…that’s some of what I’m doing and thinking. Are you worried? I’m worried. I don’t want to panic. But honestly you guys are some of the best, savviest, most intelligent people I know so I’d love to hear how you’re thinking about things. Advice? Musings? Thoughts?
23 Comments
heebie-geebie
March 9, 2020 at 9:09 amI’m following it very closely as well, and particularly the spectacularly negligent response by the CDC, and the damage caused by having only tested such a tiny sliver of people with symptoms or exposure. I’m very alarmed, and I assume that we are well past the possibility of containment, and in the realm of just mitigating the speed of spread so as not to overwhelm hospitals and supply chains. “Flattening the curve” is the phrase I’ve read in a few places to describe the public health goal.
That said, I’m not concerned for the safety of my kids or family. But the health of vulnerable populations, yes, as well as significant economic impact if this trudges on for the next six months. And the grueling cabin fever of being confined with my kids for two weeks at a time, possibly more than once.
heebie-geebie
March 9, 2020 at 9:12 am(And to continue on:
– I am very clear on how the CDC was hamstrung by the current administration. Did not mean to imply otherwise.
– have I made any arrangements or bought any supplies? nope and nope. Just fretting and reading.)
L
March 9, 2020 at 9:18 amI’ve been following the live updates on the sf chronicle and it really is like watching a movie unfold. I’m preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. My husband and I are both physicians, and the protocol in Bay Area hospitals is still in flux as far as how to really even House and treat these patients. Husband is an icu doc so he’s face to face with coronavirus patients frequently at this point (with proper ppe) so I am assuming my whole family will eventually get it lol.
The only thing I’ve really stocked up on are baby things (formula and diapers) just in case everything blows up.
Lucetta
March 9, 2020 at 10:07 amReally the best thing is just do the best you can.
KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON.
This was a British Government motto during WW2. Well worth taking to heart now.
If you have kids this is a great time for them to something constructive & learn to do something supportive to contribute to the family. Do they like veggies or fruit? Take them to a garden centre or hardware store seeds will be arriving soon or be in stock already. Buy some seeds or edible plants. It’s not going to feed the family but they are involved and have a novel new activity. The kids will learn to look after something with a possible bonus for themselves.
Ask them what they would like to do and list everything within reason. Have a family meeting and everyone gets a chance to put an item on the list then prioritize & negotiate. Make this work for every one.
We just grow herbs and stuff in the kitchen window but is cheerful and makes our meals far better.
We live in the country and looks like so far our sole sacrifice is to stop our cleaning lady. Decided we have no control over where she may have been or what she might have done Our home is our safe place and staying that way as long as possible. Somewhat traumatized after just cleaning the mud room & took a break to read your excellent article Kathrine.
They may be other serious lifestyle changes later. Safety will always comes first.
At the first sign of the virus we changed our travel plans. My immediate family live over a 6 hour flight away, with several taxis, trains, busses an airport hotel stay etc & I just decided to stay home for the duration. I can reallocate my travel money or just save it for a better next trip when all is over as it will eventually.
We have noticed one particular possible issue, my husbands meds are arriving slowly & in smaller quantities than usual. He got a month supply rather than the usual three months. This has happed twice already.
We are planning on going over everything in our lives and reducing anything that might be difficult and ordering our priorities.
As long time rural residents we are used to doing with what we have & making do rather than a fast trip to the store in an emergency. Everyone should have backup supplies of your idea of essentials & always a full tank of gas in your car.
Old saying
May you live in interesting times.
Lucetta
Using my phone please excuse any typos or edit errors
Anonymous
March 9, 2020 at 11:01 amJust worried we will have a forced quarantine like Shanghai – 30 million people kept indoors. No one wants the Spanish Flu of 1918 to unfold again. Lack of facts due to the novelty of this virus and an incompetent U.S. president who is in denial of this pandemic doesn’t help matters.
Seniors in a nursing home in Washington turned fine to worse in a span of an 1 hour supposedly. People who do end up getting it say it is the worst flu ever compared to the December seasonal flu. Other reports say people who had it are getting it again for the 2nd time. Seems like men in their mid 40s are most vulnerable depending on the strain of the virus type L – which is prevalent in China -versus type S. First Chinese doctor to report this was in his 40s (or younger?) and died from it. So yes, scary times.
I’d be weary eating outside food. The utensils are unsanitary at times and can carry germs. Not to mention the people cooking the food end up coughing while they cook.
It is more of preventing the spread of the virus and knowing the long term effects given that the antibodies in our bodies eventually give up and people are seeing a reoccurance of this virus for the second time unlike the seasonal flu. Perhaps this is like the Black Plague where people need to bathe. Need more facts and hopefully a vaccine by next year. Kids do get this, but at least they seem to recover faster. Stay safe!
A.S.
March 9, 2020 at 12:16 pmI’m a pregnant physician in a big, busy hospital. I’m scheduled to rotate through one of the services earmarked for coronavirus patients in a few weeks. It’s unclear how this affects pregnant women, but fevers in general are bad in pregnancy so I’m worried. I’m taking the hospital-sanctioned precautions in the hospital and not going elsewhere very much. I’m cooking more often, though also trying to avoid our very crowded supermarket. I’m training my husband on how to sanitize his phone regularly (easily his dirtiest possession).
I think this will get worse before it gets better, but if we can flatten the curve enough (same number of cases spread out along a longer time frame) then the hospitals will have a better chance of having enough isolation rooms, personal protective equipment, etc. To all the young, immunocompetent people out there: staying healthy right now, and staying home if you are sick, is a public service!
We also need to test more widely–what we have to do in my city, where we have many documented cases already, to get a test is completely unreasonable. Somehow other countries have enough test kits. There is no medical downside (perhaps only political downside) to having accurate information by testing more people.
Anonymous
March 13, 2020 at 5:46 pmStay safe! Antibiotics can be harmful to unborn or newly born infants.
I think the number of people infected in the U.S. is misleading. My friend caught the flu this week. Same symptoms as COVID 19. She was turned down to have it tested by her regular GP and was told it was probably a seasonal flu…but she already had her flu shot. Instead of having a Quest Diagnostics slip mailed to her as always, she was told to go to the ER. Even then, the ER wouldn’t test for COVID 19 because it doesn’t fall under the criteria… visited high risk countries, in contact with known coronavirus patient, etc. Ridiculous. The test is also not free per Trump’s TV announcement. It cost $1400 against your deductible. Not to mention, it is quite strange how my friend lives in a 98% Asian demographic area in California with 0 reports of COVID-19 infection. It seems that people who have a hard time breathing and are close to death are allowed to take the test.
I hope COVID-19 doesn’t mutate to something deadlier. The 1918 flu did a similar pattern. The first wave, which also started in January 1918, only affected the old (and children), then the second wave (where it seemed the virus mutated) hit and by November it wiped out healthy adults. Let’s cross our fingers that modern technology with strong leadership can help contain this virus.
Revanche @ A Gai Shan Life
March 9, 2020 at 3:13 pmI’m immunocompromised so I am not sure if this means I’ll be more or less at risk because we still don’t know enough of the behavior of this strain to know but I’m glad that, so far, it looks like kids are affected likely and so are more disease vectors rather than victims.
We added some extra basics (canned foods and toilet paper) that we needed anyway, I did stock up on the dogs’ drugs because he really can’t do without them in case there’s any kind of supply chain shortage.
I’m torn between wanting to support local businesses and wanting to reduce exposure since food workers aren’t allowed to take sick time so if they’re ill, they’re likely to be there anyway.
I’m not panicked but I am worried, for the rest of the world even if not specifically for myself and my family.
Jen
March 9, 2020 at 4:10 pmI’ve been bringing in some supplies. I usually shop daily for fresh food but I’m bringing in canned, dried, and frozen things just in case. I’ve also brought in dog food and filled all prescriptions. I’m in the process of cancelling our vacation to Amsterdam. The timing is wrong given the case spike in the Netherlands over the weekend and I’m pretty sure I can postpone most of it until the summer when we have more information on how this is going. I’m trying to view the markets as a buying opportunity, but it’s such a rollercoaster so I’m not sure. Trying to keep calm but that’s not my strong suit!
Nvie
March 9, 2020 at 8:39 pmWe have been following news closely since Dec. Stocking up necessities, not panic buying, hunting for masks and hand sanitizer. I always have at least 100 rolls of toilet paper in our storeroom…since we got married 14 years ago, rest assured that doesn’t affect the supply. LOL.
Remind kids to keep washing their hands. Maintain outdoor activities and sun exposure. School is as usual with tighter preventive measures, same goes at workplace. We’re avoiding crowded areas, stay aware from sick people. No travel plans for the entire year. Luckily for our tropical weather, we continue to air the house, try to reduce air conditioning and bear with the heat except during bedtime.
Diane w
March 10, 2020 at 11:02 amI’m now more aware of my surroundings, especially the people nearby. I live in an area that’s known for various allergy problems, so people sneezing is quite common. But I notice it more now and keep more distance. I’ve always kept a lot of bottled water (in case of earthquakes) and I have enough food to last for over a week. Normally, I “live to eat” but if I begin to “eat to live” (consuming much less) that’s a sign that I might be coming down with something. However, I’ve only had the flu 2 times in about a decade or longer. But I’m 70 now, and that puts me in a high risk demographic.
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Not many of my friends agree with me on this but, as for news, I mostly read the news online because I feel that there’s not enough genuinely ‘new’ news to report, to fill the all the hours the tv news stations run. Although this is definitely a serious situation, I prefer not to hear the same
information repeatedly….as there’s only so much I can do and I’m doing it. I do occasionally watch tv news but not for very long.
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Even though I keep a Cash Stash for market downturns, I haven’t been in a downturn since I retired. I find that despite having liquidity, I don’t want to spend it. I guess I want to have my cake and eat it too…..
AC
March 10, 2020 at 11:13 pmHi – I live in Hong Kong and we have been dealing with it since January. I was not here during 2003 SARS outbreak and the initial response to the Coronavirus seemed excessive and panic-inducing but now I think all those steps have been key to keeping this under control in HK. Schools closed, sporting events and concerts cancelled almost as soon as first few local cases were reported.
There was mass frenzy over buying masks, toilet paper and hand sanitizers at first. I did stock up on cleaning supplies and hand soap, but not food. There was no short supply of food even during the worst weeks.
This outbreak caught this part of the world by surprise, but most other countries has 2-3 month runway to prepare and it does surprise me to see everyone scrambling like we were 2 months ago. And I mean the governments and institutions, not the individuals.
I hope this is contained as soon as possible. Stay safe everyone !
Anonymous
March 10, 2020 at 11:28 pmThe comments I have read under this post all seem very reasonable, which gives me more hope than the crazy/racist headlines I have seen in the media. Stay safe and alert.
Kat
March 11, 2020 at 8:57 amI know, I’ve come back to read the responses a few times to calm myself haha!
Anonymous
March 10, 2020 at 11:34 pmHello! Bay Area native here and I am incredibly thankful that I work at a company which has now implemented a WFH policy. I am one of those people that stormed Costco and stocked up on toilet paper and dried food, partially because I’m moving and need to restock but also because I’m trying to minimize having to leave the house as much as possible. The plan is to move this weekend and then hole up in the new place, WFH for who knows how long and leave only when necessary.
Being a little dramatic but this sounds like a rather intense flu that I’d really like to skip altogether and I know that things are only going to continue to get worse from here.
At this point, I’m starting to hear that coworkers know of someone who got exposed to someone with coronavirus, but I’m sure soon, it’ll become that they know someone who has it and then eventually I’ll know someone who’s gotten it. It’s only a matter of time and people are unwittingly spreading it.
I’m relatively young and healthy so I’m not as worried about myself, but am terrified I’ll accidentally spread it to family and loved ones and would feel incredibly guilty. Limiting my potential exposure so that I can protect them.
Diane w
March 11, 2020 at 1:49 pmThis article by an infectious disease doctor is the best thing I’ve read since this started.
https://www.boredpanda.com/infectious-diseases-doctor-scared-of-coronavirus-panic-abdu-sharkawy/
Jo
March 12, 2020 at 8:54 amTo those that are concerned about running out of toilet paper, perhaps it is time to invest in a bidet (pretty reasonably priced on Amazon) which significantly reduces the amount of toilet paper one uses at home and which is commonly used in many countries around the world. We have not found the need to stockpile and have generally felt that the Canadian government (where I am from) is and has handled the situation in a proper manner given our prior experience with SARS and given that Toronto is one of the most diverse cities in the world with many people of different background from around the world calling it home and travelling in.
I find that, at least for the most part, it is business as usual for many in Toronto and many are eating out and shopping, although the crowd is a bit smaller.
Lucetta
March 12, 2020 at 10:56 amSomeone just came up to the house and told me people were rushing out to stock up on groceries and everything & I should go out too. This is in the Wellington County area.
Think we are ok here but the attitude worries me. Wouldn’t like to be anywhere where people are worried about feeding themselves and their family.
Checked out our supplies and don’t see any need to rush out.
By the way if you run out of sanitizer you can chop up ginger & marinate in a bottle of gin. Leave to marinate as long as possible. Tastes great too. The ginger gin was ok ed by my husbands doctors. You can use something cheaper.
Kat
March 12, 2020 at 12:42 pmLove this whole thread!!
Lucetta
March 12, 2020 at 1:11 pmhttps://www.consumerreports.org/cleaning/common-household-products-that-can-destroy-novel-coronavirus/
This just popped up in my inbox. Might come in useful.
irina
March 12, 2020 at 12:41 pmstay safe, everyone!
Anonymous
March 13, 2020 at 5:13 pmhttps://nypost.com/2020/03/13/coronavirus-survivors-may-suffer-from-reduced-lung-function/
News like this with the novelty of the virus is perhaps a good reason to try not to risk catching it especially if you have an older parent or grandparent you still visit.
I am kind of worried about my packages from online orders coming from infected states. If thos coronavirus can last up to 3 to 9 days on glass, oh man…does that mean my package can be carrying the virus? So even my online shopping has been curbed. 🙁 I rather err on the side of caution.
Anonymous
March 13, 2020 at 5:17 pmI mean up to 3 days (not 9) …on plastic.