I'm not a prepper. I'm not an alarmist. But AIBU to be considering a small stockpile or supplies because of Corona?

[Hollyboba]

I've never done so in my life.

I usually have a wee snort at the preppers board when it pops up in general convos (sorry guys, no offence)

But reading about the Italian villages that have been put on lock down and families can't leave their homes has got me thinking...

Italy isn't a million miles away. Its not a 3rd world country. If its happened there...

Maybe just some bottles of water and some tinned goods? Medicines?

Am I going mad?

Just the more I read about the more sensible it seems. Even if it's not a case of being officially quarantined then it might be a good idea as it goes on not to have to go shopping as often as I do now?

Argh I don't know!

(Although when we first started our stockpile it was for the zombie apocalypse...)

Heh me as well, 10 years ago I started

Only get stuff you will use anyway OP. If you visit a world foods store you can get stuff in bigger packets. More meals.

Why do we need UHT milk? Are we expecting the electricity to go off?!

In case supermarket deliveries are impacted/supply chain impacts preventing fresh milk being available.

@PianoTuner567 because it will last longer and you can store it in a cupboard without using up fridge space.

Farm foods do a crate of long life milk for a fiver. Handy to pick up and sling in a trolley. You get 3 months out of it before it has to be drank at least.

YABVVVU for saying third world... this is not the 1980s. I’m sorry, I’m not normally such a pedant but this gets me.

I still have a lot of my crashing out of brexit stockpile going though. Need to start getting the veg boxes sorted for the spring/summer too when I can manage to stay outside for more than 20 mins!

Oh and remember - UHT not suitable for kids!

Tinned powdered milk is better than it used to be too.

www.amazon.co.uk/Nestle-Nido-Full-Milk-Powder/dp/B07K4QW1QX/ref=pd_sbs_325_4/258-8683311-2399144?psc=1&pf_rd_p=96cae456-8d7a-4bc1-91c7-9b20b4dfd7c9&_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_wg=2B5ge&pf_rd_r=XXCVYYVAE83ZEHCRWWFV&pd_rd_i=B07K4QW1QX&pd_rd_w=5i6tn&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&refRID=XXCVYYVAE83ZEHCRWWFV&pd_rd_r=a03eab9e-1767-49e8-8bde-df5907f7b890

It's always sensible to have a small stockpile of essentials just in case. You don't have to spend your life 'prepping' to know that even a severe storm could disrupt life for a few days, floods, power cuts, whatever. You just never know when it might come in handy.

Realistically we aren't going to starve (those stockpiling months' worth of supplies are overdoing it in my opinion), however if there are more lockdowns in other countries there may be shortages of some imported products. If there is a lockdown here we may even be unable to get to a supermarket for a while. I think it's quite reasonable to put some extra food aside. Think of things that aren't strictly essentials (if it comes to it, the government will supply those, as they are doing in Italy) but that you would struggle to go without for a few weeks. Favourite tinned soups or ready meals, etc. Also things that may raise morale in the event you have to stay indoors for a while, chocolate, sweets, small toys for the children etc.

UHT is also because at the first sign of snow, people clear the shelves of milk and bread. The same will happen if there's a panic here. And we do love a 'clear the shelves of every dairy and bread product' panic buy.

In the same way that snow delays deliveries, if enough of the population catch it and are quite unwell, there could well be not enough people to deliver it or replenish shelves while they are recovering or quarantined.

Yes, I am thinking the same. I'm usually not alarmist at all about these things but this one felt different when Italians started cancelling football. When's the last time Euopean towns were in lockdown? I'm thinking the Black Death!

I usually have a few things in so there's no catastrophe if we can't get out for a few days but I'mgoing to check stock levels and make sure everything's good.

I'm also thinking about what on earth we'd do if confined to the house for a fortnight (or more?). I might stock up on decorating supplies too!

Does anyone know what the situation is re pay if we were forced to "self isolate"? I'd expect my employer to pay me, although I don't think they're obliged to. DS is hourly paid and doesn't get paid if off (this wouldn't be sick leave anyway?). It wouldn't be a disaster for him but for anyone with proper bills etc to pay...

Why isn’t uht milk suitable for children? Doesn’t everyone drink it (as opposed to fresh milk) in Spain?
I speak as someone who has just bought 8 packs of it.....just in case...was planning to give it to my children if stuck in the home...

Something to do with lacking in iodine? Not something I would be concerned about short term really.

Yes op, it's prudent esp with dc to be honest.

It's amazing how quickly society breaks down with just a few glitches. I've got lots of extra loo roll, pasta, stock cubes, pulses, vit c tablets.

I've also made a few batches of highly nutritious but tasty soup from pre brought bone broth, eg pea soup, with spinach and small amount of spiralina chucked in + turmeric, Just in case of illness. Lentil and carrot soups. +lots of canned soup.

Extra meds. One packet of latex gloves, but as I use then for gardening anyway I will get some more and a couple of masks. Mainly in case one of us shows symptoms to protect the others oh and dettol laundry wash.

Is this whole thread freaking anyone else out as much as it is me 🤷‍♀️😬

I always have a stockpile, I've been doing it since I watched The Walking Dead before brexit. It's always useful to know you have enough supplies if you're snowed in/ill or whatever. Yanbu.

I am now officially concerned about coronavirus. I've just read that everyone "is likely" to get it. Actually, I think most people will just get and get over it, but I'm worried about my mum who is in her 70s, and just recovered from cancer, and my stepdad, who has health complications (including copd) - I think they are at risk.

I’m loving the ‘I’m absolutely not a prepper but....I happen to have several weeks-worth of food in my cupboards and freezers’
That’s prepping.
It’s not all crouching in a basement, surrounded by ammunition and beans.

I don't think anyone needs to buy water. The reason you see the Italian water shelves empty is because Italian drinks bottled water as tap water has an horrible taste in most cities.

You prep in case you can't leave your home or delivery trucks can''t not reach a supermarket because of an isolation imposed.

This is an Australian program called Four Corners on ABC. It is investigative journalism and is aired on Mondays. This Monday, the show looked at coronavirus
I believe people who say it is just the flu should watch it because it clearly shows it is not a simple flu and the measures taken by countries are easier to understand.
It is something that could go bad.

In Italy, the government will cover the wages of those who can't go to work because of isolation if working from home is not an option, if you are an hairdresser for example.

What about just freezing normal milk instead of buying UHT?

Work mate in Milan said that the supermarket shelves were bare at the end of last week and people were already fighting to get the last bits of food. If you can afford to have stuff in that means you don't have to do that, then it means there's more chance that people who can"t afford to stockpile will also be ok. I was running my Brexit stores down a little, it's been handy having so many false dates, as I absolutely know what we eat on a regular basis now! But am going to bring them back up just a little while Corona virus is still around. I go for unsweetened evaporated milk instead of uht because I know I'd never use uht or powdered unless forced, but I love a bit of evap, and you can just add water to it to un evaporate it

My friend from Milan (who has parents and friends still there) say the shops are completely bare - I'm sure those who thought to stock up are glad they did now!

We probably won't need it but there's no harm in having some non perishable items in stock. I'll probably buy some tinned stuff and pasta etc that I'll end up using anyway. It's useful to have for more mundane eventualities too(e.g. the little village shop is shut again and the car's broken down).

Queenest because the freezer is already full of ready meals from Cook.

@Germainedestael Spaniard here and yes we tend to drink uht since small. Maybe not full but semi skimmed. But fresh milk is not So easy to find

I restocked our pantry and freezer somewhat as of a couple of weeks ago (in conjunction with extra supplies for half term that were needed anyway - teenagers!). I'm thinking roughly in terms of having an adequate variety of food for a couple of weeks after clearing the fridge of fresh stuff. Mainly focussing on basic staples and tinned stuff that we usually use anyway.

I'd already had a conversation with my elderly mother - who lives in another country and has been trying to get her house ready for sale - about having a plan for what to do if she needs to avoids places-where-people-are for a bit. She hasn't ever used supermarket deliveries for example and their minimum amounts are more than she ever needs, so I suggested she consider talking with neighbours who might be willing to share a delivery. I was glad I'd pointed it out to her as she had nearly finished running down the freezer which had been stocked up a bit over Christmas when we were visiting and splitting our time unpredictably between two houses.

Unfortunately one of the main issues I see being a problem with coronavirus is just the strain on hospitals and doctor's surgeries. 2% death rate is high enough but also around 20% of people are seriously affected and 5% become critically ill. That's an absolutely huge burden for an already over stretched system.