Corona virus precaution.

[358156 hp]

I had friends calling me Saturday telling me they were in the local Sams Club, and there was a run on bagged rice & storage suitable food. I needed to shop for groceries anyway, so I went to my local grocery store and found all was quiet there, I kind of expected some sort of show. I admit to spending a little more than I normally would have, but it was all normal stuff, I just added a bit of cushion. Later this week I'll do it again with my regular marketing trip.

So would we refer to this as a targeted panic? Sams & Walmart got swamped, as I'm sure others were. Such a lack of imagination by the panickers.

 

[Rally]

I've got water, wood, and women. No worries!

 

[462]

Water and wood I understand.

 

[Ian]

Like Bret I've seen people get stupid. Hurricanes, 9/11, Y2K, freak ice storms in north Texas, etc. Some gasoline scare in circa 2007 went viral in hours and the local gas stations had lines of pickups with people pumping fuel into 55-gallon drums, milk jugs, and whatever they could find. I learned to put a good supply of necessities away for such times, including baby formula and cloth diapers together with lots of OTC medications. If it ever gets too bad I'll just throw a padlock on the front gate, park something behind it, and stay home until it blows over.

 

[Bret4207]

I'd say this is a classic example of media hyping a story way outside it's actual severity. I think the real story is how it came to be released, and where it originally came from which is supposed to be Canada. No one seems too concerned with another case of espionage and letting this crap get away from it's cage.

 

[RBHarter]

I saw this morning that a twister hit in Tennessee same death toll as the virus to date in the states .

Bummer about the storm . Got some 3rd cousins up that way .

 

[Bret4207]

16,000 died from the common influenza in the US in the last year. No one bats an eye.

 

[Jack Swilling]

2018/ 2019 was 61,200 flu deaths per CDC
2019/2020 is 18k to 46k estimated and counting per CDC

 

[358156 hp]

Wash your hands.

For a minimum of 20 seconds. With soap. I remember once hearing a guy in a public restroom humming to himself as he washed his hands. It was the alphabet song we all learned in Kindergarten. I didn't think much of it at the time, people often absent-mindedly hum or whistle to themselves when doing mindless tasks. The only reason I even remember this, is that I was reading an article on the flu the other day, and one way they recommend of being sure to wash your hands long enough is to sing or hum... the alphabet song. It lasts about 20 seconds.

 

[JWFilips]

2 happy Birthdays Here! That is what we are told, I handled a Lot of product from India and China the past 2 months ...got to scrub up after every photo shoot! Not taking any chances

 

[RicinYakima]

Got a call from one of my shooting buds; COSTCO is out of toilet paper, microwave food was down to 10% stock and bottled water was selling fast. The ninth death in the county next to us has scared lots of folks with all the media hype. If you are under 60 you don't even have to be concerned.

 

[fiver]

talked to the son in laws brother in Seattle earlier today and it's the same thing there.
told him we'd send him a couple of loaf's of bread if necessary, he said he might would rather have us mail him another handgun and some ammo for the one he already has if things didn't settle down soon.

here in the middle of nowhere they were out of eggplant at the 2 grocery stores in town.
not amused.

 

[Ole_270]

Yeah, we're out in the middle of nowhere too. Got two freezers we can barely get the lids shut on. If the power goes out I guess we'd better get busy canning or making jerky and dried whatevers.

 

[462]

here in the middle of nowhere they were out of eggplant at the 2 grocery stores in town.
not amused.

So, no eggplant parmesan for dinner tonight?

 

[Rally]

Was listening to some virus specialist on the radio talking on this subject. According to her these type virus' can live up to 4 days if transferred to a hard surface. If you then think about where the outbreaks are currently, travel and distribution of whatever products being trucked in this country, it is likely everywhere already! Just not diagnosed yet. Her best advice was to use good hygiene practices and avoid populated gatherings. Makes sense to me.

 

[fiver]

we were gonna make ratatuie, we just left out the egg plant.
I substituted in some bacon chunks, [hey, we all gotta make sacrifices somewhere]
I think I like the addition though, it adds in a little something texture wise to the soft squashes/veggies.

 

[Bisley]

I don't know how long the panic's gonna last, but it is real.

Wife and I flew Emirates ORD-Dubai-Lusaka (Zambia) for church missions last week. Left Wednesday evening. Emirates charges a $75.00 / seat / link premium for the two-abreast outer seat racks in the back of the Boeing 777-ER, and $40.00 premium fr window seats anywhere else. Middle seats go last. Exit row and bulkhead seats with more legroom also command $75.00 premiums to reserve.

Point is, when we boarded at O'Hare, I walked past empty exit row and bulkhead seating, and we were all alone in the back. Asked the attendant if people were afraid of the virus and she assured me this was usual capacity for this time of year / flight time. Right. Emirates is gonna operate at 40% capacity for one of their most popular routes. Dubai to Lusaka was the same story. Empty premium seats were not low sales, they were last-minute cancellations.

Nice to be outside the country for the Costco and Walmart panic. Right now I am more worried about a possible run on gunsmithing services to schedule some pistol work. I'd like to schedule time back home to receive any handguns I ship out.

 

[Sandspider500]

 

[Bret4207]

2 happy Birthdays Here! That is what we are told, I handled a Lot of product from India and China the past 2 months ...got to scrub up after every photo shoot! Not taking any chances

Jim, I used to watch when the USDA Inspector at our local port would open some of those containers from China, India, Pakistan, Vietnam and many other palces in what I suppose we'd call the far east. You wouldn't want to ever touch, much less eat, some of that stuff if you saw how it got here. I saw a lot of loads refused in a heartbeat and some that looked the same to me allowed in. Oh yeah, and the tags on the containers that advised they'd been gassed to kill off the vermin and insects were real comforting too. I'm sure I've torn into some of that stuff, but it's a wonder we aren't all sick to one degree or another.

 

[Bret4207]

Was listening to some virus specialist on the radio talking on this subject. According to her these type virus' can live up to 4 days if transferred to a hard surface. If you then think about where the outbreaks are currently, travel and distribution of whatever products being trucked in this country, it is likely everywhere already! Just not diagnosed yet. Her best advice was to use good hygiene practices and avoid populated gatherings. Makes sense to me.

Heard one of those experts too. That guy talked about this strains "unusually long life span" and that it was "particularly hardy" temp wise. I think he said up to a week on some surfaces in optimum conditions. Of course rabies can live for days too, so I suppose it's not unheard of. He did say common disinfectants should be effective. Probably a lot of Lysol being sold.

Like I said, it's the people, businesses and gov't response that worries me. I'm a lot more worried bout all those 75+ year old people at my church or around town than I am for myself. And then you throw a career bureaucrat looking to make a name for himself into the mix? Never let a crisis go to waste, right?