Jeff Cianciolo, a close friend of VERVE, is a Logistics Supply Chain Expert & owner of Heavy Haul Transportation. Jeff has delighted in sharing his tips and best practices on keeping your household safe and prepared during this unprecedented and rapidly evolving situation of the COVID-19 spread.
FAMILY PREPAREDNESS FOR THIS PANDEMIC
In an effort to get a better feel for how your family is going to deal with any given crisis, open discussion is vital.
- Don’t be shy… sit down with your loved ones, have a family meeting and discuss what you plan to do to keep prepared, healthy & safe and furthermore how you are going to go about doing it!
- Discussion should be led by one person, but everyone’s input is important.
- Discussion topics should include: WHAT to do to ensure your family’s safety, HOW to implement safety precautions, WHERE to go or WHO to call in the event of an infection or virus.
Hunkering down should be part of your preparedness plan; this means getting your pantry, fridge and freezer stocked for a minimum of two (2) weeks of food, medications and other personal necessities, in the event you are prohibited from leaving your home.
A plan of attack for grocery shopping is to make a list of what you typically consume on a monthly basis: various pantry/nonperishables (rice, oatmeal, tomato sauce, pasta, canned goods, etc.), meats and dairy that you can freeze, fresh and frozen vegetables/fruits… think of your normal grocery lists and meal consumption. To be the most expeditious, call the store ahead of time to get a gauge on their current inventory and create your shopping plan.
Important items to consider are food/meds for your pets, child diapers/formula, and personal care items.
REMEMBER You are responsible for your own health and the health of your family.
REMEMBER It’s not what will happen if a healthy person GETS the Virus… it’s what will happen to the “vulnerable” and “health compromised” if a healthy person SPREADS the Virus!
REMEMBER This Virus can go undetected without symptoms while being transmitted to others.
REMEMBER Your car and home ARE the “SAFE ZONES.” They are meant to be just that… safe and where virus’ are NOT welcome. Keep them clean.
SOME COMMON SENSE STEPS THAT YOU CAN TAKE
- Social Distancing (CDC recommends 6’ as a safe distance between people).
- ALWAYS Cover your cough in a tissue or your elbow sleeve.
- Try not to touch your face.
- Maintain a healthy Immune System (take vitamins A, B Complex, C, D). Try and stay away from a lot of carbs & sugary foods.
- Wash & sanitize your hands regularly (wash hands for 20 seconds with hot soapy water).
- ALWAYS keep a small bottle of “hand sanitizer” with you. (If you don’t have any, Google how to make your own).
- Assume everyone has the Virus and everything you touch is infected. DON’T panic, just be safe. It might be a little “over the top”, but not a bad idea to think in those terms in order to start getting used to safer habits.
- Take your shoes off when you get home and spray them with Lysol disinfectant spray or just leave them in the garage or a designated area. You DON’T want to track “stuff” all over your house and into your ‘safe zone’.
- Even getting the mail, you should throw out the “junk mail” right away and wash your hands immediately.
This temporary crisis WILL end! We will adapt to a “new normal” (just like Sep 11th) and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
