When not if…that was the word from CDC yesterday, and they’re correct. Covid-19, aka coronavirus is here, and it will at some point be “community based” meaning that it will spread from person to person amoungst people who have not been to any of the affected areas, and were not repatriated.

Is it time to panic? No.

It is, however, time to prepare.

First and most important: learn and practice good hygiene. I’ve said this before, I’ll say it again: WASH YOUR HANDS: fingers, nails, fingers, fingers, fingers. A minimum of 20 seconds with warm water and soap. Out and about? Use hand sanitizer with a minimum of 60% alcohol. That’s when you get out of your car, back in your car, after shaking hands (or fist-bumping), after using anything that multiple people use like the coffee machine at work, doorknobs, elevator buttons…etc., etc., etc. There is nothing more important. Teach your kids, remind your parents. Learn now to avoid touching your face (especially your eyes) unless your hands are pristine.

Masks? Nope. First, they don’t work unless they are tight to your skin, and you change them appropriately. Second, they are good if you HAVE a disease (like flu) and want to prevent spreading it, but if you are healthy, they’re not all that effective. Next, there is a scarcity of masks, good masks, and we want them for first responders and medical professionals because we need them safe AND we need them to be able to not spread disease from seeing patients. The only thing they’re really good for is reminding you to avoid touching your face.

Food and water? We don’t know if community spread will begin in a week or a year or somewhere in between. But having a couple weeks of shelf stable food and bottled water isn’t a terrible idea. It’s not a critical need, but it’s nice for avoiding panic.

Medicine? Yes. If you take prescription medication, try to get it in the 3 month supply in lieu of the 1 month supply, just in case. If you take OTC meds, keep a month’s supply on hand. Just in case.

Personally, I have a large pump bottle of hand sanitizer near the front door, and make sure that all guests use it on entering. Hygiene matters at all times. Other than that, just remember to use something that kills germs on non-porous surfaces in your house (door knobs, toilet handles, light switches, etc.) if someone is ill with a cold or seasonal flu, or other ailment. It’s good hygiene!

Next, ignore anything that comes out of the mouths of idiots – like the Orange Menace who cares more about the stock market than public health. Also his minions whose goal is to make you think there is no potential for community spread – they can’t read, and they don’t know science. Listen to doctors, nurses, epidemiologists, virologists and public health officials and ignore everyone else.

That’s all for now….we will get through this…now go wash your hands.