How to be prepared for a possible quarantine

Date: 3/11/2020

An expert in emergency preparedness told Reminder Publishing that in many ways preparing for quarantine for the coronavirus doesn’t differ than for a blizzard, hurricane or any other natural events.

Army veteran Robert Prince, formerly of Chicopee, has a consulting business helping people prepare. He taught courses at Holyoke Community College on the subject.

“For every person who is prepared means that one less person the government has to take care of,” he said.     

He said that for any emergency it’s important to be consistently ready, rather than react to the event. Certain supplies can be both expensive and put of stock.

He noted the runs on grocery stores in Milan, Italy, recently as that city shut down due to the virus.

Since some people have spoke about a two-week quarantine, Prince recommends taking the following steps:

• Buy a stock of prepared foods, many of which can be eaten either hot or cold. “Hit the canned chicken heavy,” he said. “The protein will keep you strong.” For children, he thinks having canned foods that appeal to them will help them through an emergency.

He recommended keeping the emergency food separate from the food supplies a household uses regularly.

“Being prepared is not hoarding,” he said.

The reason to buy ahead in Massachusetts is remembering the supply chain for canned food is not in New England and those might be affected by a medical emergency.

He also recommends having in the home crossword puzzles, books, coloring books and jigsaw puzzled to help keep children occupied in the case of electrical service may be affected.

“It’s possible, but maybe not likely there could be an electrical outage,” he noted.

• Have a bottle of unscented bleach on hand that can be used to disinfect a home and follow the directions on the bottle for amounts to be used with water. Prince also said having latex gloves on hand is important as is having the M-95 face mask on hand, although he cautioned it is too early to wear the masks.

He said there is not one precaution to take but many small ones.

• “Right now is the time to start good habits,” Prince advised. Among those is wiping the handles of grocery carriages with a disinfectant wipes supplied by the stories. Keep your hands away from your face and suspend for the time being hand-shaking.

“Nothing scares human beings more than an unseen virus,” he said.

Prince can be reached at 919-709-1814 for additional questions.