As the novel corona virus gains new epicenters around the world it looks poised to become the long overdue pandemic we've been dreading for so long. South Korea, Iran and Italy have all gotten significant local transmissions and even without reliable data from the Chinese the total amount of cases is growing at an alarming rate. And with every new case in previously untouched communities another set of panic sets in. A rush to buy supplies lead to empty shelves, large amounts of unrest sweep through cities, suburbs and countrysides. So what to do? What can the average person do to make their lives safer in these unfortunate times? Be prepared, stay updated and keep calm.
Firstly, you can't control the actions of others, sure you can try to persuade them to act in a certain manner but they will still be flawed human beings. This leads to advice number one, be prepared. Being prepared doesn't entail buying a years worth of food, a generator and multiple hazmat suits. What it does mean is have two or three weeks food, and other consumable items such as toilet paper, in case of food runs when the virus first hits. A thing to remember is that it will most likely be the actions of panicked everyday people that lead to a temporary shortage. Eventually things will go back to normal, but if you aren't prepared those first few weeks of shelves picked clean, that could lead to you and your family starving or having to pay exorbitant prices for small scraps of necessities. Sure, you can't stop people from panicking, but you can prevent yourself from having to do the same.
Secondly, stay updated. While the news can be a real downer and ignorance can be bliss, knowing what is going on can help you get a grip on the situation and prevent you from acting like a fool. You won't be able to stop the virus from coming to your area, that's for certain, but you can avoid putting yourself, and in extension your family, in the danger zone. If you are planning a vacation, perhaps you should go to the Austrian alps rather than the Italian and perhaps you should go to south America rather than east Asia.
Lastly, keep calm and carry on as normal. As you have probably gathered thus far the greatest threat to everyone is not the virus itself, except if you are old or have a weak immune system, but the reaction of the public. To make one thing clear, you are most likely going to get infected. That might sound scary but with a death rate of around 2%, again with mostly the old and immunocompromised being at risk, the probability of lasting effects is rather low. This all leads to the advice, if you can't prevent it at least don't make it worse. Most people don't want to, or can't, hunker down and wait till it all passes so the best thing for everyone else is to not upset anything. To live life like you did last month or last year, to not panic and buy whatever groceries you can get your hands on, to not abandon society, to not upend your life in hopes of avoiding this novel corona virus.
