Coronavirus….Should you freak out?
Unless you have been living under a rock I know like us you are watching this entire Corona Virus scare go down and seeing as universities shut down, businesses close (and some are very well going to go under, cruises are quarantined, and people are generally freaking out.
YouTube videos are circling of people disappearing in China and from the sound of everything on social media or mainstream “news”, the world is ending like a sequel to “World War Z”!
Here’s my motto for all of this that I want you to repeat to yourself:
“Don’t be scared, but be prepared!”
Hysteria causes more problems during times like these than any virus ever DREAMED of causing. One of my good friends said in a video she did (and I very much agree with her), “Most people in situations like this freak out mainly out of a lack of preparation. It’s like they are sitting there WAITING for something to happen to them.” And I agree with that 110%.
So do NOT be scared, but let’s talk through some common sense preparation and some things to think about:
1. Should you be concerned about the Corona Virus itself?
As of right now, unless you are immunocompromised, are in a hot zone for the virus, OR if conditions of the virus change and gets worse….you should not be scared of it. You SHOULD have things on hand that will help boost your immune system and fight off viruses though and I covered that for you in a video on my membership site HERE.
People that are more susceptible to symptoms and issues from the Coronavirus are:
- elderly
- immunocompromised or people taking immunosuppressant medications
- people with chronic/acute/severe respiratory conditions
- people undergoing chemotherapy
- malnourished individuals
So if you are not in any of those categories, then your goal and job is no different than during the flu season or other “sicker” times of the year and you increase products and lifestyle choices for yourself and your family to boost and protect your immune system.
2. Should I travel?
With how things are going right now the ease of and safety of travel changes on the hour SO if you are going to travel anywhere by plane and especially out of the country, you need to be watching and keeping up with the news and travel or airline companies consistently to see what their current policies are. Other things to consider is whether or not airlines are spraying disinfectants on their planes and the passengers upon landing (this is happening in Africa). As for us….we just got back from Florida and will travel again soon by car, but are not planning on flying again as a family until this blows over.
3. What SHOULD I be worried about?
The biggest concern right now is government mandated quarantines…
The thing that you do NOT want to have happen is for you to go to a hot zone or travel somewhere or go on a cruise and then get detained by government officials and forced to stay against your will or even worse…be forced to take vaccines or medications against your will. Not a good idea.
The main thing is to use your head and to also make sure you have a decent amount of water stored up at your house in case things get worse and you have to stay home for an extended period of time.
Let’s talk about a few basic things that you do need to think about and prepare to have in your home in case you are stuck there for an extended period of time. Most of the time during any kind of emergency scenario…you are staying put. There are a select few times when you would be on the run or on the fly, but that’s now what we’re talking about here and God forbid that ever become of reality here.
Here are some of the basics:
1. Water supply
No matter what happens….if you don’t have water to drink for you and your family….you’re in trouble. If you don’t have clean water to drink for you and your family….you’re in trouble. So making sure you have extra water at your house if things change and we are asked to stay in our homes is crucial. If you can get the water in glass bottles that is preferable, but just get you some water stored up. You can look up amounts online, but you want to think about water supply for every member of your household for 1-2 weeks. If we require more than that we have a whole other problem on our hands!
Another option is having a way to filter water there instead of buying it. We have a whole house water filtration system on our home so we have filtered water coming out of every single faucet in our house. But if the water supply was shut down, we have and use a Berkey Water filter as a back-up. You just pour water in the top and it filters the water down into the bottom for you to drink.
They also make water bottles with filters and straws like “LifeStraw” that filter straight out of a puddle or river or pond.
2. Heat/Fire
The ability to make a fire is very important. Regular matches and lighters are helpful at times but are unreliable and if you are in wet conditions you are going to have a problem. Buying some water proof matches and keeping them in a ziplock bag is great and I recommend having several fire starters (google “fire steel”) to have. Those work great and there are lots of options out there.
3. Food
You want to have a bit of food with you in case you can’t leave or in case every store is empty. Keep in mind a couple different scenarios.
First scenario is if everything is “fine” but you are stuck in your home for awhile. You want to have things to fix and things to serve that will last awhile. Get you an InstantPot and get a few staple meals to make and keep ingredients on hand like rice, beans, etc.
Second scenario is if there is either no good water to use, no fire, no electricity….basically no way to actually cook the food you have then you need to think through some foods like protein bars and MRE-type meals that you can just break open and eat. In this scenario you really are only caring about the calories to keep you from getting weak until you can get to the next hot meal.
Am I worried about the Corona Virus itself? No, not really.
At the same time I’m not naive enough or dumb enough to think that things can’t change or that mass hysteria won’t affect my family so for those reasons we are making sure we stay alert and are prepared.
It’s amazing how much a little bit of preparation, even just a talked out PLAN, can diminish so much fear.
Be proactive about talking through the “what-if’s” and you’ll put yourself and your family in a good spot to be ready if the current climate turns more sour.
Definitely praying that doesn’t happen, but it’s happened before and it will for sure happen again.
Fear is not a good plan, but neither is blind arrogance.
Be well,
Dr. JB
Join now FREE – as my way of giving back until end of April during this challenging time. https://doctorjimbob.com/join-now
Thanks for sharing Dr Jim Bob – it almost seems like we’re living inside a movie right now. lol
Grateful for people like you speaking up and who actually sees it for what it is.