Citizens struggle to prepare for COVID-19

Eve Walters, Reign of the Toilet Paper Goblin,

Watercolor, 11” x 14",

2020, Two Dimensional Design

Bread, milk, and eggs: three things that typically are the first things to go in a grocery store at times of crisis.

Whether it be a hurricane that causes a power outage or a snowstorm on the way, stocking up on the right items is essential.

With this strain of the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, items such as toilet paper and hand sanitizer have been deemed important to consumers.

Signs are being made to apologize to customers for the lack of these items, and limits are being created for how much of one item can be bought at once.

But how should people be handling the crisis and what items should people actually be stocking up on?

“(People should be) buying soap and making sure to keep their distance from people. People continuously going out is the real issue and panic buying does nothing but punish people who are not better off, or people without the ability to go out. We need to look out for everyone as a whole, not just ourselves,” Alexandra Gallagher, a microbiology lab professor at Lehigh Carbon Community College, said.

Not only should people be stocking up on soap and practicing social distancing as is recommended, but there are other things people can keep in mind. Fresh fruits will likely spoil in about two weeks so it’s better to steer away from that type of produce.

However, canned items, frozen foods and boxed pasta as well as rice have a longer shelf life, and items such as canned fruit, or canned soups are recommended by the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Disaster Education Network.

Regardless of what others may deem important to stock up on, it is always good to double check and see what is officially recommended to be prepared for a crisis.