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While the concerns for contracting the virus are high, especially for those over the age of 60, a larger fear for many is being self-quarantined for an extended period of time.

The typical quarantine period is 14 days. Two weeks seems like a long time to be stuck in the home, but it could go longer due to public safety concern. We recommend to have at least 3-4 weeks of supplies when planning to ride out a self quarantine situation. Think about what you’ll need to keep you and your family safe, healthy and happy. 

Moreover, a virus pandemic can be the catalyst for a financial crisis like we’re seeing now, a scapegoat for the banks to grab bailout money from governments (which we end up paying for) while they revise laws that could potentially only benefit the banks and the super rich while imposing more restrictions and hardships on ordinary citizens. If a long-term financial crisis does happen, there will likely be bank runs, food shortages, looting, martial law, riots etc.

With prepping, you can go into all kinds of ‘what if’ scenarios. But it really boils down to making sure you have the following covered: 

• Safety
• Temperature Control (cold/extreme heat)
• Water
• Food
• Communications (Radio, etc.)
• Medical – Medications
• Tools (Can opener, knives, shovel, etc.)
• Lighting & Back-up Power
• Hygiene
• Comfort & Entertainment

Not sure where to begin? Here’s a list we put together for the coronavirus pandemic: 

Safety: 

• First Aid kits: have a few. Get a book on home remedies and treating injuries/sickness. 
• Thermometer (and several back ups) 
• Self-defense: if you have supplies and someone doesn’t, this naturally puts you in a defensive position. We’re not saying you shouldn’t help, just watch yourself. Even having pepper spray or stun gun can add a lot of protection during a crisis. 
• Have fire extinguishers in a few spots around your house. Working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. 
• Lighting: available if power goes out. Flashlights, lanterns, etc. 

Drink: 

• Water: In theory clean water should be available within your home. However, we suggest establishing some redundancy around water storage and filtration. You want to have 1 gallon of water per person, per day – this gives enough for drinking and washing. You can buy 1-5 gallon water tanks (we recommend WaterBrick).
• For larger storage, we like this 50 Gallon Tank 
• Powdered milk, especially if you have kids/teenagers 
• Alcohol of your choosing 
• Flavored dry mixes (cool aid, etc) 
• Frozen juices 
• At a minimum getting the LifeStraw Personal Water Filter would be a good insurance policy. It can clean enough water for one person for a few years. You can capture water out of lakes or rivers then filter with LifeStraw. 

Food: 

• Have redundant ways of cooking food (what if your stove goes out?). Have some camping stoves with gas. Have a few extra 20lb propane tanks for the outdoor grill. 
• Have long term food supply (canned food, freeze dried food, etc). Most grocery store canned food lasts around a year, or you can get long term food storage which has a 25 year shelf life.
• Just like it makes sense to keep your car full of gas, keeping your house full of fresh food makes the first week of a shelter-in-place situation a little better. 
• Don’t forget pet food

Hygiene: 

• Toilet paper 
• Paper towels 
• Feminine hygiene products 
• Other toiletries
• Disinfectant hand gel 
• Disinfectant wipes (surface and hands) 
• Chlorine Bleach (this does expire every few years) 
• Soaps: Body, shampoo, dish soap, clothes soap, etc 
• N95 masks – despite what you hear on the news, the N95 masks do work to protect you from the virus. Sorry, currently we aren’t able to source any for a reasonable price.

Health: 

• Medicine. Try to stock up on prescriptions and any over the counter medicines. Buy a bunch of cough & flu medicine. 
• Contact lens solution, extra pair of glasses 
• Vitamins – staying healthy and keeping your immune system strong during a pandemic is critical

Power and Communications: 

• Have a few radios to stay up to date on news events. We’re assuming (and praying) we always have internet, but what if we don’t? Radios are an important connection to what the authorities are doing. Crank radios allow you to keep power to the radio during blackouts. 
• We’d like to assume we’ll always have electricity, but its good to have a few solar charging systems. The 20,000MAH Solar Power Bank is all you need to keep your phone and tablets charged up.

Specialty: 

• Baby food 
• Diapers, wipes, creams, etc.

Other:

• Lighters and matches
• Cash on hand 
• Hatchet for cutting wood 
• Can openers, cooking utensils 
• Shovel for digging 
• Knives 
• Our most popular gear: Featured Products

Also Consider: 

• Think through how you’ll keep entertained; tablets, board games, etc. 
• If you have school aged kids; home schooling will be needed.
• Establishing a routine will help everyone. Have a workout schedule to get needed exercise. 
• Keep your cars full of gas. Have an extra can of gas in the garage (gas has a shelf life so you can’t keep it more than a few years). 
• What if the power goes out and it’s cold outside? Huddle everyone into one room in the center of the house or a room with a southern exposure. Have lots of blankets, pillows and sleep bags. If it gets real cold set up a camping tent in the room, everyone’s body heat will help to keep you warm. We also have some great warming products.
• Think through an office quarantine – what if you get stuck at work? That scenario needs its own list of things. Start with some of the above basics and keep them at work. Extra clothes, toiletries, etc. 
• When sterilizing your area don’t forget to wipe down your cell phone, headphones, door handles, light switches, steering wheel and nobs in car. 
• And please, stop touching your face! 

Now you know what you need, and it’s time to get prepared. Adding any special items to your list? Let us know in the comments below!