Corona Virus Close to Home, @Metzli Had to Take Time Off to Reflect

The School Sent Me an Email Before the Information Hit The News

I received nice, calm letters from two school districts last week letting me know that the Corona Virus was in Chula Vista, CA, the City where I live. They let us know that ONE ATT worker who worked at a Chula Vista Store and had recently came back from Italy was detected to have Corona. (The store is about 2 blocks from where my oldest goes to school)

A parent of a pre-school child, who happened to work at the ATT store, out of an abundance of caution, decided to keep themselves and their child at home for 14 days.

The emails from the school were a little scary, CoronaVirus in our community is not joke, but they were calm cool and collected, which made me take inventory, and keep calm.

I was so calm that my first reaction was that I should write a post for the SAND community.

Then the news got a hold of the story

It was amazing to see first hand, how the same information, that was in the emails from the school all of a sudden gripped me with fear.

Those news reporters really know how to get a rise from people.

But, if I already had the information why was I in fear?

Everyone else around me became fearful, and supplies started running out

I became fearful, because everyone around me was in fear, and all of a sudden, every single conversation was riddled with Corona Virus this and Corona Virus that.

By The Time I Made it to the Grocery Store Certain Supplies Were Gone

Bild von iXimus auf Pixabay

We got the last of the water. The Rubbing Alcohol was missing. Canned Tuna was low. Spam (nasty canned meat that was suggested I buy for the calories) was gone. We got the last box of instant soups.

Rice, beans, and oatmeal were low.

Canned milk was low.

And, funny enough. EVERYTHING was on sale.

If everyone quarantines themselves, then there will be no one to buy the food, and it will all rot. Was my 13 year olds reasoning.

But why all that extra food?

Because I am scared of what is happening in Italy.

What am I going to feed my kids if my City calls a quarantine, and I can't leave my house for two weeks? Sure, it is unlikely to happen in the US, but still, even if the quarantine is voluntary. I will voluntarily stay home!

Bild von Gerd Altmann auf Pixabay

I am a fresh food fiend
I purposely try not to keep more than a couple of weeks of food in my home. Not counting my earthquake kit which must stay intact cause, hey So Cal Reality, earthquakes might still happen.

I grocery shop every 2-3 days
I get fresh meat, veggies and fruits then. My freezer is not prepared to stay home for two weeks.

What am I really doing to prepare

I am lowering my grocery store trips, and doing them in the mornings
My kids love grocery shopping with me, but they are touchers. They touch the carts, the floor, they pass their hands through the juicies. It is a fun game for them. Also, I go the store 2-3 times per week, raising my chances of infection.

I am aiming to shop 3 times a month.

I am making the kids take their shoes off by the door

They also have to wash their hands and change their clothes when they get home. Yes, that means more laundry, but I can handle that.

I am being more proactive in cleaning my home
I am washing my blankets more often. I am vacumming more. Mopping more often, and getting doorknobs and surfaces with a home made cleaner more often.

There is a baby coming anyway, so that should be good.

I am avoiding public places
This one is the most difficult. I have three kids at three different schools, and they all go to some type of extra curricular activity.

I can still avoid malls, movie theatres, parks with jungle gyms, restaurants.

Handwashing, handwashing Handwashing

It will get tougher as time goes on and the virus spreads further, but hey, you can only do what you can do. And, I figure if the house is nice and clean, and smelling of eucalyptus, tea tree, and other fresh essential oils, with a freezer full of food they may want to stay home?

How is it going on your end?

Posted via neoxian.city | The City of Neoxian