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Earlier this week on Corporette, we asked readers whether their jobs have been affected by coronavirus, and today we’d like to find out about the impact on CorporetteMoms readers — so, please share: Has coronavirus affected your family so far? What are your kids’ schools doing to keep students safe? Are you worried at all about your kids getting sick, or your kids infecting grandparents or others?
Do you and your partner have plans for childcare if your child’s school or daycare is closed? (Has it changed your spring break plans or Easter travel plans?)
The latest update from CNN shows that COVID-19 has infected more than 115,800 people worldwide and has killed over 4,200 — but interestingly, the virus seems to affect children less severely than adults. The BBC reported that children and teenagers are less likely to die of coronavirus than people over 80, while Parents listed a few theories to explain kids’ lower rates of transmission and milder symptoms. Experts are still figuring things out; the latter article quoted one doctor as saying, “[We] are completely stymied as to why we’re seeing this phenomenon.”
Still, schools all around the country are closing, and many colleges are transitioning to online-only classes. Schools that remain open have been busy keeping parents updated regarding coronavirus policies; we’ve gotten three detailed emails from our district’s superintendent already.
Yesterday, my son told me that teachers at his elementary school are asking kids to wash their hands before lunch (among other measures), though he added, “But none of us washed our hands before lunch.” (Sigh.)
Lately, I’ve been vigilant in getting him to wash his hands when he gets home, partly because we were notified that a kid in his class tested positive for strep throat. (Another sigh.)
The advice we shared on Corporette from the World Health Organization bears repeating on this site, so here it is:
- Clean your hands frequently, either with soap and water or a hand sanitizer. (Please do not try to make your own hand sanitizer out of vodka.)
- Keep a 3-foot distance between you and someone who’s coughing or sneezing.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your bent elbow when you cough or sneeze (also called “the vampire sneeze).
- Stay home if you’re sick. If you have a fever, cough, and difficulty breathing, go to the doctor.
- Stay informed on the latest developments about COVID-19.
Readers, has coronavirus affected your family in any way? How worried about COVID-19 are you, and what precautions are you taking? Have you canceled any upcoming travel? If your family was asked to self-quarantine after being exposed, what would you do?
Further Reading:
- 8 Questions Parents May Have About Coronavirus [NYT]
- How to Give Your Kids Stability When Coronavirus Closes Schools [Quartz]
- How Working Parents Can Prepare for Coronavirus Closures [Harvard Business Review]
- How to Talk to Children About Coronavirus [Harvard Health Blog]
- Just For Kids: A Comic Exploring The New Coronavirus [NPR]
- Coronavirus Preparation: 7 Hand-Washing Songs to Teach Kids [Fatherly]
Anonymous says
I would just like to point out how absolutely revolting this graphic is. Or do other people not have the same reaction, and does the fact that I find it revolting mean I have trypophobia?
Beth @ Parent Lightly says
I dislike it, too.
Anon says
I think it’s super cool! But I’m a science writer and kind of a geek about science visualizations.
NYCer says
Not a scientist, but I find it more cool than revolting too.
Anonymous says
The concept is cool but somehow the visual just makes my skin crawl.
GCA says
Retired science journalist problems: My reaction to panic buying was ‘meh’, my response to general health concerns is ‘wash your hands, look out for each other, and don’t be a vector’, but I have so many questions about the future of Covid-19. Like, what will the epidemic curve look like in years to come? How will this virus evolve to coexist peacefully with people like other endemic coronaviruses?
Anonymous says
An expert I heard on NPR the other day stated that the optimal time to close schools is before any cases are actually reported in the schools, and that they need to remain closed for eight weeks to have a meaningful impact on flattening the curve. The main goal of closing schools in this epidemic would be to prevent children from being vectors of infection, not necessarily to protect the children themselves.
A case was diagnosed in our county today, but our school district just announced that it is remaining open because the patient is not associated with the schools. This will not end well.
AwayEmily says
That misperception (that social distancing is just about protecting yourself rathe than slowing the spread) is driving me NUTS. One friend of mine who lives in a many-case area and has a freelance job and could work from home insists on working in coffee shops, going to big events, etc. She keeps saying “oh, I am being really careful to use lots of Lysol wipes! And also, even if I get sick I’m in the age range where I’ll be fine!” I keep telling her, it’s just not about keeping YOU safe, it’s about all the people you could be transmitting it to before you realize you’re sick! I feel like there are so many people (including on this board) with jobs that don’t allow them to work from home, or who have travel that is unavoidable. And so the onus is on those of us who DO have more flexibility to try and do what we can to reduce community spread (and reduce the likelihood that we are unintentional vectors).
Anonymous says
Honestly, I didn’t even frame it in terms of flattening the curve until this week, and I like to think I’m pretty smart. I wish the messaging around that were better, because it makes absolute sense that we’re not trying to reduce the # of total cases, we’re trying to reduce the number of simultaneous ones to prevent the healthcare system from being overwhelmed. As soon as I saw a graph that showed two curves, one acute and one spread over several months, I got it. That graph and the explanation around it should be all over the news, and repeated by every politician and public official.
Anonymous says
Seems like the White House is still in denial about community transmission. The battle on containment is lost – it’s all about flattening the curve at this point so people can get health care when they need it and we don’t end up with overflowing ICUs like Italy because everyone gets it at once.
Anonymous says
Sadly, I don’t think we are even going to be able to flatten the curve. The feds are doing nothing. That leaves it up to state and local officials to step up and close schools and limit community gatherings, and they are also too slow to take action.
Anon says
I don’t understand how schools can close. I am a former Teach For America teacher in Baltimore City. Our school provided lunch to the vast majority of the population. The parents of my students largely worked shift jobs and can’t perform their job functions from home. My school, as weak and challenged as it was, was an integral part of students’ daily lives – heck, the nurse administered critical drugs to one student of mine that wasn’t able to do it herself when mom was at work. I heard that one urban district was committing to having grab-and-go meals available daily if the schools shut down, but that doesn’t help the social distancing recommendation.
This is going to devastate low income areas far, far worse than anywhere else, and it’s incredibly upsetting that not enough (anyone?) is talking about it, let alone helping to resource and prepare these areas for what’s to come.
Anonymous says
People are definitely talking about these issues, and that’s one reason why many school districts are refusing to close. But no one is actually doing anything about it other than keeping schools open.
Not all schools are gigantic providers of social services. Our district does not even participate in the federal school lunch program at the high school level (how that is legal, I don’t know). If our low-poverty, high-SAHM suburban district were to go to on-line instruction, most families would manage, and the district could deploy its resources in a targeted way to help the handful of families that would need it. That would at least help to flatten the curve in our larger metro area, even if the high-poverty urban district next door needed to remain open.
NYCer says
This is definitely being talked about in NYC, and one of the main reasons that the governor and mayor continue to say that closing NYC public schools is a last resort.
Anonymous says
Agreed. My husband is an NYC teacher. The DOE just announced parent teacher conferences will be now done by phone, but classes go on. I guess that is better than nothing? There is no way they have the capacity to move to online instruction quickly, nor can they assure that it would be equitable.
Anonymous says
I’m mainly worried about my mom – she has health issues, and I am concerned about her ability to fight it. Although there are no guarantees, DH, kiddo, and I should be in a good place if we get it, so while we’re being practical and exercising good hygiene, we’re not going out of our way to do anything different to protect ourselves. Our other parents aren’t high risk, but I’m sure it would be rough. So the precautions I will take involve trying to prevent my mom from getting it. I’m not encouraging her to fly to some family events anymore (at least until closer to the time). I also won’t fly to see her until things calm down.
Next time I’m at the store, I might pick up some extra canned and frozen vegetables. I’m in a rural area, so until it gets here, I won’t worry about a 2 week food supply (if then).
Anon says
Our school district just scheduled a student holiday next week to purportedly train teachers on distance learning. My law firm is doing remote working stress testing this week. But so far no closures. We’re fortunate in that I can pretty much do my job from anywhere (assuming there is power, wifi and our systems aren’t down) and my husband stays home with our daughter, so while being home for a few weeks would be annoying from a stir-crazy perspective, we would be fine.
Personally, I’ve been keeping us out of group situations (other than preschool or work) for a few weeks now. We’ve had back to back colds and I just want everyone to get healthy! Plus we were thinking about visiting my immunocompromised mother last week (DH and toddler ended up being sick and so we didn’t visit). So we’ve been staying in, eating in and cooking (something we had fallen off the wagon on), catching up on sleep, TV and laundry and playing in the backyard. No eating out, no shopping in physical stores, etc. My 70 and 80 year old inlaws however keep going out in large gatherings almost every day and I keep telling them not to and they just ignore me and tell me it’s fine because they’re not touching anything (insert major eyeroll here).
Marilla says
We’ve cancelled Passover plans to have my dad fly in and visit. He’s 83 and definitely a vulnerable population. I’m trying to push at work to talk about working from home, teleconferences instead of big (30 people) meetings, etc, but we’re a huge organization so not much will happen until something comes down from on high. I work in a big office building and over 90% of employees here probably take transit to get here so I’m mildly concerned about that. Our school has sent out notices saying they’re talking to the kids in an age appropriate way, keeping in touch with local public health, etc, but I would not be surprised if and when schools close and move classes online for a month. Not sure how I’d juggle that with working from home as well..
Overall I was super calm and unconcerned until I started reading the first hand accounts from Italy.
Cb says
Ugh, it’s all a bit up in the air. We have local wedding and have to travel to a funeral on Tuesday. My mom is coming in on Friday from the east bay, hoping all okay as she’s the childcare for wedding and funeral. Suspect my husband’s work will close before mine, and not sure about nursery. Just trying to figure how to get work done with a 2.5 year old at home.
Mrs. Jones says
I haven’t done anything at home in response to the virus. Obviously we wash hands frequently, etc.
Anon says
My 70 year old parents are visiting us (driving here) next week. DH and I are both working from home as of today and are religious about washing our hands, but the biggest source of infection in our house is normally our toddler, who goes to full-time daycare. Would you keep the toddler home while my parents are here? My parents aren’t acting very concerned about this (they’re both professors who were still teaching in-person classes through the end of this week and my mom is currently in an airplane on her way home from a conference, so I know my toddler isn’t the only possible source of infection). But I just feel like kids are such petri dishes and I would hate to be responsible for giving them something that could be so serious. There are no cases in our county yet, but several in neighboring counties and I know it’s generally believed there are way more cases that haven’t been diagnosed yet due to lack of widespread testing.
Anon says
Personally, not unless you also kept toddler home for the week before: median incubation time was 5.1 days last I read. Also quarantine is usually for 14 days to show symptoms, so unless you keep toddler home for two weeks prior to your parents visiting you wouldn’t really know.
Anon says
Yeah, that’s the thing – we really can’t keep her home until my parents are here to help with her care, since DH and I are still both working full-time. I’m also worried her school will close soon, and I’d hate for her to have missed out on her last week of school. She’s only 2 but she loves school so much.
shortperson says
there is a two week incubation period. meaning if they are going to give it to your parents they are already carriers. i would not have my parents visit but if they are coming next week for a week i would send my kids to daycare to keep them away as much as posisble.
Anonymous says
The maximum incubation period is 14 days, but the average incubation period is 5 days.
Anonymous says
1% of people have a longer incubation period than 14days
http://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-incubation-period-5-days-average-can-exceed-2-weeks-2020-3%3famp
Anonymous says
Right, “maximum” was not the right word. But I was replying to someone who implied that it commonly takes two weeks to transmit this, and it doesn’t. Five days is the average.
Boston Legal Eagle says
My husband’s work instituted a WFH policy for all employees in his office and mine has so far not mandated this, but that could change. My dad cancelled a trip abroad that he was supposed to go on next week. So far daycare is open but if it closes, we are all going to be spending a lot of time together at home.
Anonymous says
So far, biggest impact is that we can’t go visit my elderly, ailing grandpa, which I had been planning to do this month. My mom probably will not visit my family for a while, because she needs to be able to visit her parents. There are no cases in her area or my grandparents’, yet, but there are in mine. I’m pretty upset at the idea that the only way I’ll get to see my grandpa is if he tests positive for covid-19 and I don’t have to worry about us giving it to him. I don’t think he would survive it, and the whole point of us planning a visit was that we’re not totally sure he’ll still be around at Thanksgiving.
Remote work is very common for my team at work, and I usually wfh a few days a week anyway. We have company-wide stress testing for remote work this week, but it’s already part of the culture for many functions & locations. No public transit in my commute. DH works exclusively from home. We are not changing our day-to-day activities at all, at this point, but we’re not big out-and-about movie or restaurant people anyway.
Our Spring Break plans next month include a domestic flight and Caribbean cruise. We’re in wait and see mode for that. If we go, I will definitely wfh exclusively for a couple weeks after, and minimize time in public spaces. If schools are still open we may keep the kids home, too. I suspect they will be closed by then anyway, or that a remote learning period will tag on for a couple weeks after Spring Break. Thank goodness this is happening in the Spring and self-quarantine can include our backyard.
Anonymous says
A cruise? You’re out of your mind.
Senior Attorney says
Yeah, not very diplomatically phrased, but I agree.
Anonymous says
Just as an FYI – in Canada the Public Health Agency has officially advised people not to go on any cruises – their rationale is here – https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/latest-travel-health-advice.html#cruise
Anonymous says
Thanks, I’m aware of those recommendations. The US State Dept and CDC have issued similar guidance. Like I said, wait-and-see mode.
Anon says
It’s not just about you, though. Think about all the vulnerable people you will put at risk if you choose to flout the government recommendation not to cruise.
Anonymous says
Right, that’s why I said that if we go, we will self-quarantine when we return. Anyone who still goes on a cruise in the middle of a pandemic has chosen to accept the risk of infection (and getting stuck on the boat for an extra week or two, and mandatory quarantine, and and and). The cruise lines are screening all passengers prior to embarkation and denying boarding for anyone showing symptoms. Please trust that I am an informed, responsible adult, and will consider all the latest information available at the time when I need to make a decision. At this point, both the flight and the cruise are reschedule-able up to 48 hours before. The fact that I haven’t cancelled yet doesn’t mean I am h3ll bent on going.
Anonymous says
You will have contact with a lot of people between disembarking and returning home – airport staff, car rental etc. Self-quarantining after you get home doesn’t stop you from spreading it. It’s hard to see how you feel this is the “informed, responsible” approach to go against the advice from multiple public health agencies.
Anonymous says
Working from home is a good step, but you will have contact with a lot of people that aren’t your colleagues. There are people who have much more important reasons for traveling (like family funerals) that you may expose while traveling home. The US government has asked people not to go on cruises, and going against that advice is not responsible, sorry.
Anonymous says
Look, there are a lot of variables, not least of which are how prevalent the virus is in the relevant locations by then, what else science has learned about its spread and incubation period esp with regards to children, and whether we’ve already contracted it and recovered. DH and I take seriously our responsibility both for our family’s safety and to be good citizens, and we are well aware that we may need to drive vs fly, take extra PTO to keep kids home, or cancel. There’s no reason for us to make a decision about any of it for a month+, so for now we are choosing to watch how the situation and our options develop. I respect, agree with, and have already considered your points, and that’s all the more I have to say about it.
Jeffiner says
We’ve been telling my 5 yo daughter to wash hands as soon as we get home. Her daycare has instituted a wash-hands policy as soon as you enter, and parents now have to stay in the entryway. When I dropped her off this morning, I reminded her to wash her hands before playing. She squealed, “PANDEMIC!” and ran excitedly to the sink. At least it encouraged her friend to wash hands with her.
My family, including my mother, have a trip to the Galapagos scheduled in 3 weeks. Right now the CDC isn’t recommending cancellation of travel to Ecuador, but I’m still concerned. Hopefully there will be more data coming in the next 2 weeks to help us decide if we want to go or not.
Anon says
Totally OT but are you taking your 5 year old to Galapagos!? I would love to hear about your trip, if you are able to go. It’s one of the destinations at the top of my bucket list, but everyone I’ve talked to about it has told me kids need to be much older to make it work.
Jeffiner says
We are taking the 5 yo! We’re doing a land-based rather than cruise-based trip (which also might help with the COVID-19 thing), so we can be more flexible on our excursions, and with the kid’s schedule. We’ve taken her on multiple trips and she’s a really good traveler. I’m thinking this will be even easier since we’ll have Grandma with us. We’ve been teaching her (my daughter) to snorkel at the Y this winter!
Anon says
That sounds awesome! I hope you get to go. My kiddo is a bit younger than yours, also a great traveler but we have not attempted anything this adventurous yet. This gives me hope that it will be possible in the near future!
Anonymous says
yet another anon. I hope this trip works out for you and you can report back about the trip. I would love to visit the Galapagos
NYCer says
FWIW, I think any elementary aged kid would love the Galapagos!! We went pre-kids, but always say we want to go back with them. I don’t think 5 would be too young. Enjoy!
FVNC says
My BIL is the main caretaker for my elderly in-laws and usually sees them 3-4x per week. He works in an area heavily impacted by the virus, so he’s not visiting them until the situation is under control. My in-laws will be fine, but it’ll be a bummer not to have his help and support.
We were supposed to go on a house-hunting and daycare hunting trip to another heavily-impacted area next week, because we’ll be relocating to that area over the summer. We haven’t officially canceled our plans but likely will. Although it’s definitely a “first world problem,” I’m annoyed that Airbnb isn’t offering any cancellation flexibility other than for reservations in Italy, China and S. Korea, so we’re out $1200. We were already iffy on using Airbnb (and decided to do it so we could “live” in our target neighborhood for a week, where there are no hotels), but this is one more reason not to use Airbnb in the future. Also, the thought of buying a house, sight-unseen, which we’ll now need to do, is stressing me out.
Anonymous says
Why would you have to buy a house sight unseen? Why not rent for a while?
Anon says
+1 please do not buy a house sight unseen! That’s a recipe for disaster. Get a rental for a year after you relocate.
FVNC says
Yes, we realize it’s nuts but there are Reasons. It’s not totally uncommon in our community (military).
Seafinch says
Same. Military and we have bought two houses sight unseen. It can be fine, as you know.
Linda says
I am having major anxiety about whether to cancel my daughter’s 4th bday party. It’s at our house and only invitees are kids in her preschool class (like 12 kids). Her school is still open but I suspect not for long. My original thought was we’d cancel if school closed; but now wondering whether that’s necessary, are we actually not going to do playdates or any socialization for 3 months, and wondering if we should go ahead and just tell people that we really will not be offended if they choose not to come…?
Anonymous says
That depends on where you are located. NY, CA, WA, DC–cancel. Where we live, there is not yet community transmission and school is still open, so I would probably not cancel, at least not right now. I would try to have the party outdoors if possible.
Anonymous says
Yeah, I know this goes against the anonymity of the board, but these responses would be more insightful with context on the location.
Jessamyn says
Honestly, I’m planning on still having my daughter’s 6th bday party next weekend. Our area is not heavily impacted yet, and we’re only supposed to have about 20 guests. We will encourage the kids to hand-sanitize. It’s an hour and a half out and about in the world, and she’d be devastated if it were cancelled. I don’t see it as being the same thing as a day+ gathering of thousands.
Em says
I had my son’s birthday party last weekend but it was only 5 kids and mostly family, and it was at an outdoor location. At the time we only had 1 confirmed case, but based on the history of that case we most likely have community transmission (although they aren’t testing anyone not related to the 1 confirmed case, so no way to prove that). I still had one guest cancel because she is quarantining herself and her kids due to the one positive in our town.
Anon says
If I were you I probably would still have it since it sounds like a relatively small gathering. I have a similar debate right now except we booked our party at a bounce house place. So in addition to my daughter’s friends, there will be lots of other kids and adults. I feel like I want to text her friends’ parents and ask what they think. Not sure what to do.
Anonymous says
I know this is a very first world problem but my DD was supposed to transition daycare rooms in May. I feel like the odds are good her school will close in the next couple of months and remained closed through May, so I don’t know what the transition will look like – will she just go straight to a new room after this break without saying goodbye to all her teachers and friends? Won’t that be hard coming back to school after a long break, plus going to a brand new room? I KNOW that if the worst problem we have from all this is a rough daycare room transition, we’re incredibly lucky, but I can’t help but feel sad and anxious about it. And she will miss her little buddies so much while school is closed! The ironic thing is that when she was an infant I wanted so badly to be a SAHM and not have to send her to daycare, and now she’s going to be home with me full-time and I’m sad that she will be missing out on time with her wonderful friends and teachers. The grass is always greener, I guess.
Anonymous says
I think day care transitions are way overhyped. For some kids it’s truly a big deal, but for most it’s a non-issue as long as the parent doesn’t make a huge deal out of it. Even if your kid fusses at drop-off for the first few days, 99% of the time she will be just fine as soon as you are gone.
Jessamyn says
+1. As long as the new room is a nice one and a positive experience, I think your kiddo will be fine.
Ohio says
Speculation is that our school district (close-in, middle class suburb of Columbus, OH) will have kids move to online learning for at least a week or two after spring break (which starts next week). Most colleges and universities in my state are doing the same.
Extra anon for this says
I work in a field that focuses primarily on pandemic/bioterrorism preparedness and response and my husband has a similar job so it’s basically destroying my home and marriage right now? We are both very burnt out and sensitive and stressed and tired and there is an underlying unspoken “my role is more important than yours” in some of our interactions. We’ve had 2 fights our whole marriage before this. So…. that’s fun. I’ve hired some extra help to keep us all afloat.
Also, I receive immune-suppressing treatments so I’m high risk. I think that is mentally affecting me more than I’m recognizing or admitting. I’m much more unnerved by some of this than I expected as someone who thinks about these things for a living. I guess because a lot of the measures we always talked about as “worst-case scenario” are happening now. We always imagined things like university closures happening in more dire circumstances, but I think we also expected them to listen to their public health officials.
I’m avoiding the grocery store etc. and am trying to get things in a position where I can telework (luckily we have a lot of redundant communication methods in the emergency preparedness and response world!). My chronic condition is flaring from the stress so that’s the cherry on top of the poop sundae.
We did stock up on some basics, as discussed here in past posts. We’re bracing for school to let out. My son is almost 10 so honestly that won’t be a huge deal, I’m more concerned about if our in-home daycare closes.
Anonymous says
I’m sorry, this sounds so stressful! I don’t think the fact that you do this for a living implies you don’t have the right to be worried about yourself and your loved ones. I have an autoimmune condition that I take medicine for. I don’t feel like I get sick more than average, but I did some medical literature searches and it seems to be an open question about whether the meds I take are “immunosuppresent” or not, so I’m worried about my own health, as well as older and more vulnerable people. I think a lot of younger people are worried about how this will affect them, because there’s so much that’s unknown about this virus from a medical and science perspective and it’s not clear that the mortality rates and demographics of serious illness China will be replicated in other places. Heck, it’s not even known why it spares kids and whether that will remain true as the virus goes global and if/when people get infected for the second time, so I don’t think anyone is silly for being very concerned about it.
Anonanonanon says
My son has read books about the 1918 pandemic and the yellow fever outbreak in 17whatever. He recently remarked 1918 must have been a crazy time to be alive, because they had a pandemic and a war! Just wait till he realizes the US history he has lived/is living through right now…
Sarabeth says
I’m a college professor, so I’m figuring out how to teach the rest of my semester online. It’s a bit of a trip, but I’m trying to give myself some grace – I’m not going to do a perfect job, and that’s fine.
Otherwise, life continues on as usual. I don’t know what we’ll do if/when daycare is closed. My parents are our usual backup care plan, but they are both in their 70s and I don’t want them around my adorable disease vectors at all these days. But we’ll cross that bridge later. My husband and I are both working from home full time for the foreseeable future, so there will be an adult in the house. They’ll probably watch a lot of TV. We’ll all survive.
Preggo In Seattle says
Not to go all doom and gloom on everyone, but I would start preparing now for a change in lifestyle. I’m in Seattle the first city to get hit and the city has made a big push to WFH and Seattle Public Schools just announced today they are closing for 2 weeks (which I’m sure means my toddler’s daycare will be closing as well). We’re lucky here because the CDC’s response has been lackluster (testing through them is still difficult), but we lucked out that UW was developing their own test so people here are actually able to get tested. That said, this is coming to a city near you and who knows if your local health agencies are ready. The response here has been across the board. I have coworkers who are going about business as usual and are convinced this is no big deal, but I would say most people (at least most businesses when forced to make a decision) have acknowledge that there is a big risk out there and are taking preventative measures. I go back and fourth between panicking (I’m at the end of my first trimester and there is basically no data on what the risk to pregnant women is, but the CDC is categorizing us as high risk) and trying to be reasonable and just do what I can. I would start getting in the habit of washing your hands more often and not touching your face (it’s way harder than it seems). If you have littles, practice with them. I would suggest you add a little extra canned/frozen food to your grocery list just to be safe (and go at a down time…social distancing people, social distancing). I would also stock up on activities for the kiddos. Honestly, I don’t know how we are going to survive having a 2 year old at home and both trying to work full-time (and honestly there is more pressure on me than my husband because I have billable hours that track how much I’m working). And realistically, it’s probably already in your communities you just don’t realize it (they now have evidence through the Seattle Flu Study that it was floating around here weeks before our first reported case) so it’s not a bad idea to start avoiding large events. The more we can slow down the transmission of this thing the better off we all are off. Even if you’re not high risk, someone you know is. Let’s all flatten the curve…
Anonymous says
Agree with all this. My city doesn’t have any cases yet but DH and I talked through a plan last night for what we need to stock up on (e.g. extra epipens) and are starting to take preparation steps.
Flattening the curve is so key – if this can be slowed, then the ICUs don’t get overwhelmed and people can get appropriate care and get better. We can’t stop it but it’s not like it’s ebola – it’s quite survivable with adequate medical care so we just need to make sure everyone doesn’t need medical care at the same time.
On pregnancy, if it makes you feel any better, I think CDC automatically puts pregnant women in the high risk group because pregnancy suppresses your immune system slightly which means you are more likely to get it and more likely to have a slower recovery. Not because they are necessarily concerned about any harm to the fetus.