Are you one of the countless people around the world who have raced the stores since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak buy products such as toilet paper, alcohol, pasta and other items you surely believe are basic needs that you need to stock as the virus continues to spread?
As of today, the worldwide death toll has for the disease has reached 11,419 with 276,686 confirmed cases. Whether you (or a loved one) have been personally affected by COVID-19 or not, it is highly recommended that you prepare with the essentials.
According to the emergencies and disaster prep website, ready.gov of the US Department of Homeland and Security, storing "a two-week supply of food and water" is advisable.
Additionally, the website advises periodic checks too, of any prescription medicines to guarantee a continuous supply, as well as a refill of any non-prescription meds such as cold and cough medicines, and pain relievers.
Moreover, the American Red Cross also advises everyone to keep an "at-home first aid kit" for the treatment of typical injuries such as swelling, cuts, strains, sprains, scrapes, and more.
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What Not to Include in Your Things to Buy
Basic needs or essentials do not mean 30 packs of toilet paper. At present, pandemic planner and crisis management expert, Regina Phelps said, people do extremely silly things and that's understandable.
For 20 years as a pandemic planner, Phelps shared, she has learned that when companies or individuals don't draft a plan about what they really need in advance, the natural response is "to buy things they do not need" and usually end up never using them at all.
Therefore, this act can be expensive, not to mention, unnecessary. Also the founder of Emergency Management & Safety Solutions in San Francisco, Phelps advises companies such as Starbucks, Whole Foods and Nike on crisis management plans which include possible pandemics, like what's happening now with COVID-19.
Relatively, she also said, these are things she sees, people are wasting money on. Some of the other things she finds a waste of money, but for many are essential (but are actually not):
The Food You Don't Usually Eat
If people don't have a grocery list, according to Phelps, they usually just throw random food products that they usually don't eat to feel more secure, in the cart. Therefore, she advised to only buy the basics.
Face Masks
Repeatedly, medical experts say, one who is not feeling sick does not need to wear a face mask. However, Phelps said, everybody, is thinking they need a mask even if in reality, they are not sick at all.
Extravagant Cleaning Supplies that Don't Fall Under the Basics
The management crisis expert also said that most people have gone crazy with purchasing all kinds of cleaning supplies like special hand sanitizers and wipes to battle the spread, specifically of COVID-19. More so, cleaning supplies like wipes and rubbing alcohol are currently hard to find because people are in a panic and buying bulks of them. Phelps is explained, all a person really needs are a hand soap and bleach to clean and have his home disinfected. Bleach, she added, is very affordable.
