Coronavirus: An Abundance of Caution

#Wuhan #coronavirus #CoronavirusOutbreak (10 February 2020). Video Source: Youtube.

There are so many sources floating around relating to this pandemic that I will begin to present fragments of information briefly or without comment.

For today, I will say that Daniel Defoe's Journal of the Plague Year (listen to the audiobook here) is a good portrayal of psychology during an epidemic. In preparation, you should listen to it now, even though it is a 17th century English source.

People in China are suffering! #Wuhan #China #CoronavirusOutbreak (10 February 2020). Video Source: Youtube.

Defoe reported that some people who were infected became reckless and wished death on others. They knew they would die, and tried to take as many other people as they could with them. This may seem strange, but we have seen this reaction in Wuhan, China, where some infected people deliberately try to infect health care workers at hospitals. A video below shows a presumably infected group of people trying to spread the virus on elevator buttons. Notice in the next video that a cautious person has developed a counter-measure for riding elevators.

People trying to spread #coronavirus #wuhan #CoronavirusOutbreak (10 February 2020). Video Source: Youtube.

Best way to touch stuff while moving around in #Wuhan #China #Coronavirus (10 February 2020). Video Source: Youtube.

Preppers always talk about stocking up: sacks of rice and beans, batteries, water, vitamins, guns. The first and fourth videos above suggest that there is more to prepping that that. People who survive in disaster zones are clever, inventive, and observant. They adapt to a changed environment. They don't go into denial and they keep functioning. No one wants to become the poor person scaling the outside of a building in desperation, as in the above, tragic, second video.

There are many unknowns now, but if you want to prepare, cultivate a greater awareness of your environment and an abundance of caution, even when it seems silly or unnecessary. I don't mean go into full Bourne Identity paranoia, but learn to recognize when normal activity is out of whack. For example, regarding Hurricane Katrina and the Fukushima meltdown, I have written on this blog about one of the clearest warning signs of impending disaster: the wealthiest people in the area pack up and leave. They usually do this all at once, say, over a weekend. If you observe this happening, look around, ask some questions, have a think about things. Consider whether you are able to leave as well. If you couldn't do it now, figure out what it would take to be able to do that and work towards it. Do you need money, a passport, a visa? Plan where you would go. Have more than one option.

The Bourne Identity (6/10) Movie CLIP - Why Would I Know That? (2002) HD (16 June 2011). Video Source: Youtube. Reproduced under Fair Use.

Circumstances can change in an area in a matter of hours. Sometimes it takes the news cycle days to catch up with local events. Pay attention to people behaving or driving erratically.

Don't go everywhere in public staring at your smartphone. If you witness strange events unfolding, you may wish or need to use the smartphone to record what you see.

Be more mindful of the advice to avoid public transportation, lavatories, restaurants and laundromats, and plan accordingly. Pay attention to authorities, but don't rely on them to do everything for you. Know where public authorities' obligations to you start and stop.

Don't wait for the press conference which announces the outbreak has started. Two French schools near a touristed ski resort are closed after possible exposure to coronavirus and the area is facing a probe. Don't be like the French parents who are amazed that their children's schools and the local government didn't inform them of infection risks in the Alps. Parents should know exactly what their children's school policy and procedures are on the coronavirus, the regulated time frames for action, the contact names, the telephone numbers, the hierarchy of authority.

Everyone in your immediate circle should know these details. Don't rely on your spouse or partner to handle everything and remain oblivious. Don't leave your children in the dark.

House pets are not susceptible now, but imagine the heartbreak if the virus mutates and they become vulnerable. Even though it is not necessary to do so, look around now for alternatives to the communal dog park; clean out the cat box more often. You can see Redditors discussing pet care in the outbreak here.

That is, understand potentials and take cautious measures before you have no choice. Look at your life, and consider where the vulnerable points are. Scan online for policies, sources, regulations, administrative bodies, and reports, so that you know how those personal concerns may relate to public health. This information would not be part of general news coverage of the coronavirus, unless it later, unfortunately, becomes relevant.


See all my posts on Epidemics here and here.