Preparing for Coronavirus: What Are You Doing?
Have you all done anything to start preparing for coronavirus? I feel like we’ve been living a little with our head in the sand by traveling to California for Spring Break.
I’ve been paying attention to the concept of “flattening the curve.” I’m guessing that Austin will cancel school for a while. If that happens, we want to be prepared to hunker down and lay low for a while. Toward that end, I thought of several meals made with relatively non-perishable ingredients:
- Spaghetti (noodles, sauce, frozen vegetables to pulverize into the sauce, and frozen garlic bread)
- Nachos (chips, beans, salsa, cheese—kept in a bag that doesn’t get opened until we use it)
- Enchiladas (I would make them ahead and freeze them)
- Pancakes (I would freeze small amounts of milk in advance)
- Veggie burgers
- Vegetarian chili
- Mac and cheese
- Frozen pizzas
Breakfasts will consist of our regulars: oatmeal, smoothies, yogurt (individual containers). Lunch is pretty standard, too: frozen meals, PB&J, hot dogs, etc. And lots of snacks and treats(!). Here’s the list I started to make.
We need a schedule for the day, too. Otherwise we will go crazy! Maybe something like this?
- 6:45am-7:45am = Playing
- 7:45am-8am = Breakfast
- 8am-9am = Playing
- 9am-12pm = Outdoor activity (away from people): hiking down in our creek, playing tennis, riding bikes along the Eastside trail, riding bikes at the lake, finding dinosaur tracks, hunting for fossils, etc.
- 12:00-12:15pm = Lunch
- 12:15-1:00pm = Online learning time
- 1:00-3:00pm = Fun screen time
- 3:00pm-4:00pm = Documentary time
- 4:00-5:00pm = Play time
Can you think of anything else aligned with preparing for coronavirus that I should be considering?
4 Comments
Katharina
Hi, we’re in Norway where nearly everything is closed down starting from today. Foodstores are still open. One is encouraged not to panic buy (but everyone does it anyway). People have to work from home (full days) and schools continue to teach their pupils by distance, mainly ipad via showbie app in our case. Otherwise our plan is pretty similar to yours. We also thought of nice activities and have a few new boardgames on hand. It might also be an idea to involve kids in housework, start baking bread instead of buying for example and you have killed some time. I also wonder if paracetamol or other medication to help with fever might be good? But we had that anyway. Maybe not good to stock up on medication because then there might not be enough for those in need. Good luck.
Sara Cotner
These are really helpful ideas, Katharina! The United States has been really behind on its response. It feels like we are finally starting to do stuff now! We have one more week of Spring Break. I’m assuming school will close after that. If that’s the case, then I will make a new schedule with academic time built in. And, P.S. where are you in Norway? We are planning to travel near Oslo. We would love to plan a meet up if you are any where near there!
Mary B.
We’re in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. March Break is this week, and all public schools are closed for the two weeks after (so no school until April 6th). City run facilities are also shut down during this time (no libraries, skating rinks, pools, community centers, etc), as are all the museums. Canadians are being encouraged to avoid all non-essential travel, and to return to ASAP if they are out of the country. Churches are cancelling services and artists are cancelling performances. I think it is a matter of time before public health shuts down non-essential businesses.
We stocked up on books, food, and craft supplies, as well as things like medicine, diapers, and tampons. I am putting together a daily schedule for my daughter, because she thrives on routine, but I am also trying to keep things light and fun.
I would seriously encourage you to cancel your trip.
Sara Cotner
Thank you for sharing, Mary! Our school just got shut down through April 3 (although I suspect it will go beyond that). Public libraries and restaurants just got closed as well. I’m glad we are all mobilizing to stop the spread! It all feels like it’s happening so fast, which is good.
If the trip does work out, it would start toward the middle of June, so I’m not ready to call it off completely yet. AirBnB, for example, is only offering refunds for things canceled in April. Three months of social distancing might be enough to slow the spread. We’ll see what happens. Wuhan is starting to experience days without any new cases-—thankfully!