It is spring break for the local University and as Virginia is now reporting cases of coronavirus, several colleges and Universities in the country have sent students home or are discussing doing so. We wonder if an announcement will be made for the local students to not return from spring break for a while. Though there are no reported cases in southwest Virginia yet, it will surely find it’s way here.
Hubby and I are both over 70, so more at risk if exposed. We decided as soon as cases were reported in the USA, and since the summer stockpile of home canned goods runs low by this time of year, we started gathering a few extra items each time we shopped starting several weeks ago. Rarely do we buy frozen vegetables, but if we can’t go to the grocer or Farmer’s Market, we purchased bags of an assortment so we have vegetables until the garden starts producing. When we went in today to get a few items, there were many empty spots on the shelves, especially items like dry beans, rice, pasta. There was no rubbing alcohol, only a couple of bottles of Hydrogen Peroxide, and sanitizing cleaners were scarce or missing. There were signs posted by the grocer at the empty shelves. I guess panic buying has begun here. We are stocked enough to survive if self quarantined. Meals might get boringly repetitive, but we have the food to be safe. Until we see cases here, we will continue with our normal routine and resupply as we use up food but be prepared to spend a month or more staying on our farm, take our walks on our rural road or around our acreage.
As I grow aloe, the base of hand sanitizer with isopropyl alcohol from our cabinet, I made a couple small bottles. I have begun using the sanitizing wipes provided at the entrance of the grocer to wipe down the cart handle and also my hands. We don’t have a lot of visitors, few deliveries, I make my own cleaners and soaps, and my all purpose and floor cleaners have alcohol in them, and plan on adopting the habit of wiping doorknobs. We are following the suggestion to not shake hands and avoid large crowds.
We hope that this virus wanes as the spring and summer arrive, but want to be prepared without panicking. As parents, we worry about our children and their families. One lives near northern Virginia and works at a University there. One owns a medical transport company. One is in Human Resources as a new hire trainer for a huge hospital system.
We hope for the health of all in our country and hope that those that are exposed will be responsible so as not to put others at risk. Keep a calm head and be responsible.