1 Month COVID update
Here in Michigan, life for me changed forever on March 10. Now a month later, I am ready to share my take on things. I vividly recall Tuesday March 10, 2020, this was the day Michigan went on alert for what we would come to call COVID-19.. I had spent all morning, night and most of the next day working my state’s presidential primary election. All day, I was running around to any precinct that was off balance, had a crazy line, was short staffed or any other major problem. At night I was at city hall rectifying precincts, putting supplies away and working on all the things that might have been missed...until 4 am. When I woke up the next morning, I wanted to check the news to see state and nationwide election results. Instead, I saw the news that coronavirus had been confirmed in Michigan. Prior to this, I had been monitoring the world and nationwide reported cases for weeks.
I have been following and learning about this coronavirus since mid January. I can admit that I began to be on high alert when I started hearing reports of face masks being sold out and not being able to find any in stores, myself. Earlier this year, I took a couple of trips, and wanted the masks when I traveled but was not able to find any despite me and my mom looking everywhere we could. To make matters worse, I realized that the rest of my country was not prepared or taking the outbreak seriously-likely due to lack of government action and improper reporting. By the time March 10th rolled around, I was aware of the pending crisis but unsure how to properly prepare. I have never lived through a viral pandemic so I was a tad overwhelmed. However, I am mindful and grateful for all of the lessons I have been learning along the way and want to share.
Prior to March, I prepared for the outbreak by reading about conditions and studies being done in other countries already affected. Reading and learning for yourself is essential, especially now when there is a plethora of fear, improper responses by the government and changes happening by the minute. I would recommend looking up a few studies from various countries affected. This should make it easier to get balanced, accurate and less-biased information. I also looked for video footage, so I could see firsthand the conditions. Next, I started “stockpile prepping”, which is basically stocking up on essential resources. For me those items included canned veggies and beans for myself as well as food and litter for my kitten. Decide what things are essential to you and your family and focus on gathering those. Another stockpile I started was cash, this is great so that I have another savings for emergencies and a cash reserve for places that might not accept credit. However, after I had an apartment fire in late February, I felt like all of my work was in vain. It was a little over 3 weeks before I was able to return to my apartment. By the time that I did, the state was under a stay at home order and life as I knew it had ended.
Fast forward a month, now Michigan has the third highest number of cases in the U.S. and restrictions have increased even more. In Michigan the governor announced that large stores will only be allowed to have 4 customers per 1,000 sq ft. while small stores are limited to using only 25% of the total space - including employees. In addition, large stores have to close non-essential sections of thers stores, ie: gardening, paint, furniture, ect. Over the next couple of weeks I plan to go out less due to the rapid increase of transmission in my area. Luckily, I have been able to prepare enough food to last me and I want to share 15 things that I have done to make that possible.
Make a list before to be prepared
Take pictures of things you already have to not double buy
Go to stores early for better selection & cleanliness. Research what times stores open and be mindful of times that might be reserved for elders or those with health conditions.
Take extra supplies: wipes, gloves, tissue, trash bags, ect. while you are out. You never know when you might need them and cannot afford to be without them at this time.
Be prepared to clean everything when you get home...everything. Groceries and clothing will all need to be immediately cleaned. It might be easiest to put all of your groceries on a towel or sheet when you get home until you can clean them and put them away or have 2 separate counter areas to put things on. To sanitize everything, I mixed a cleaning solution in a bucket and used a towel to wipe off everything except for the produce. Here’s a good link on how to use household cleaners to kill the virus.
Brace yourself for the madness. Be prepared for people that do not practice social distancing or general kindness. During this time, lots of people are frantic and likely to invade your space in an effort to get an item they want. While shopping, I found myself holding my breath when people got too close to me. But for me, that was all I could do to control myself in those situations. Remember, you cannot control others so there’s no need to add extra anxiety about this.
Buy a few extra items with each trip to the store. With item limits due to panic buying, buy a few extras whenever you can afford to so that they are readily available. For example, I have seen a limit to packages of rice, milk, cleaning supplies, paper products and more. So even if I may not immediately need an essential, or another can of food, I am sure to get them anyway.
Freeze a portion of your produce. If you are able to buy extra produce to freeze do so, if not portion off some of your produce to add to your frozen stockpile. Especially now, I have been finding good deals on fresh produce and when I do I make sure to buy extra to add to my reserves. During my last grocery trip the zucchini was on sale so I made sure to buy an extra pack. Now, I can add zucchini to my frozen foods and enjoy later when I do not want to go to the store. If possible, eat your fresh and frozen foods before your canned foods which typically last longer.
Be aware of cross-contamination. If you are wearing gloves, that’s great but are you touching your phone with your gloves on? Are you touching your keys with your gloves on? That’s cross-contamination, beloved.
Clean everything, remove your clothing and wash your hands immediately when you return home.
Don’t forget to also buy fruits, vitamins and herbs-these are also essentials.
Don’t cook everything at once. Speaking for myself, if I cooked the food, I'm gonna eat it lol. This is especially true when I am stuck at home all day and fighting boredom hunger. For example, when you go to the store, try to anticipate that ⅓ of the food will be saved or added to your frozen stockpile for 3+ weeks later. That leaves you with ⅔ more food, I would advise that you cook ⅓ first and then wait a few days before you cook the rest. This should help you to ration out your food better so that it lasts longer.
Blanch produce before freezing. Blanching is a great way to help preserve produce before it is frozen by stopping enzyme breakdowns that change the color, texture and flavor of the food. Blanching is basically steaming the veggies and then immediately submerging them in ice water to preserve the crisp texture. Blanching is required to preserve almost all frozen foods. If you are unfamiliar with this techniques, here’s a link to help. When I freeze things, I like to freeze cooked and raw foods, just like I would buy at the store.
Buy filling snacks, not empty carbs and sugars. For example, during my last grocery haul, I grabbed a bag of avocados, I believe there were 6 small avos in the bag. With a few of the avos I made avocado toast, some of the others were mashed into guacamole. These snacks are much more filling than say a bag of chips or cookies.
Pack light. Whenever you have to leave your home for essentials, take only the things you need with you. I say this for a few reasons, the main one being germs-the less you have, the less you need to clean. Also, with the increase of unemployment, overall violence and decreased police regulations I am concerned with safety. This is not the time to be carrying around a big purse full of unnecessary items.
I am certainly no expert on this topic but we are living through history and learning together. I hope that something I shared helps you practically get through this pandemic with less stress and better preparations.
