Are you doing anything to prepare for a second wave?

[Emlou07]

Historically we are going to get one. Seeing pictures of places rammed is scary.

So if so, what are you doing to prepare? If only to make another potential lockdown a bit easier.

I've been picking up a couple of extra tins a week and some UHT milk. I've also put some bits aside for the kids to keep them entertained.

I think the Spanish lockdown was a huge mistake. I'm really sorry for those suffering because of it.

As said above, if one of your household does show symptoms, you have to stay at home for two weeks, so ideally you should have iron rations for that. Maybe get some vitamin tablets in case you end up without fresh food?

Everyone should be taking Vitamin D unless they are outdoors a lot, and if they are over 60 in any case.

I was unexpectedly (and extremely depressingly) advised to shield. I couldn't (and still can't) get priority slots apart from £££ Ocado as the system is so useless so having food in was an absolute godsend to avoid/minimise DH and DCs having to risk shops and isolate from me.

I have spent three months (pneumonia before lockdown) in the house without seeing anyone else and it's been so fucking hard. Having a stock of supplies has made me feel so reassured, minimised the risks to my physical health and made a huge difference to my mental health as it's taken one worry off my mind - with so much else to worry about. Also DH was furloughed (and may have to take unpaid leave)and we lost income and will lose more. DH has been so relieved the shopping bills could be reduced for a few weeks. To see nasty comments (like yours @Lucyccfc68 )

"You are as selfish as the arseholes that go to the beach in their thousands."

Can you imagine how it makes me feel?

I don't think I am selfish, or an arsehole. I am the exact opposite of a panic buyer as I have literally added a couple of extra items to keep "one in reserve" for years and we are members of Costco to buy in bulk more cheaply as we are a big family.

I can't go to the fucking shops - god I wish I could! I have huge amounts of guilt I have fucked up my DC's and DH's quality of life through me having to shield, and cost us income all just because of me. I actually felt a little proud of myself and happy that I had made things a little easier for us.

I don't think I'm a selfish arsehole and fuck me it's depressing to know that other people think I am.

MyEyesight
I don’t think anyone could accuse you of being selfish. In fact, I would say that people who panic buy but are completely healthy and have no reason to shield etc are selfish simply because people in your position should be able to prepare and stock up etc.

*"You are as selfish as the arseholes that go to the beach in their thousands."

Can you imagine how it makes me feel*

Can I suggest that you feel sorry for the person who made it? Because they are obviously hard of thinking that's polite for 'an idiot'.

I've moved away from being totally reliant on supermarkets, as have many of my neighbours. I get milk from the milkman, meat delivered from the butcher, veg from weekly farm box, flour from our local cooperative, eggs from a neighbour, we have a streetwide produce order from a wholesale produce guy for fruit, and wine from Naked Wines. We all pool together to meet minimum orders on things like the produce or bulk buying toilet paper. It's been really great and means I can go weeks in between supermarket trips.

@gales one of the best things about this has been starting using a local farm for fruit veg eggs and milk. They have an honesty box and we go most days and get tons of amazing stuff

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/01/iran-rapid-rise-in-covid-19-cases-stokes-fears-of-second-wave

No second waves then, some of you were saying?

What is more worrying is that they class this as their second wave and their numbers are still lower than ours!

What is the threshold for being " selfish as the arseholes that go to the beach in their thousands"

I mean, if a thousand people go to a thousand beaches (no more no less): are they selfish to each have a beach to themselves? At what point is the selfish arsehole threshold crossed?

And as for the Iran "second wave": the headline says "fears" not that they've actually got a 2nd wave, just afraid of one. Another thing people don't like: it's just a feeling, there is no actual definition of what it is so no way to agree when it's been achieved.

Absolutely nothing - am a key worker so nothing really changed for me except a much more pleasant and quieter commute .

The shops here in the US are back to normal stock levels, so I've filled our 20 cubic foot freezer with meats and frozen foods and the pantry is beyond stocked with paper goods, soup, baking supplies, etc. I also bought another 60 freeze dried camping meals. And we have 30 gallons of spring water in 5 gallon bottles for the cooler in our kitchen.

I've also made sure we have at least 90 day supplies of all rx medications on hand.

They're predicting a very bad hurricane season here this summer, so these are all good preparations for that as well. We lost power for 6 days in hurricane Sandy but we do have a generator that got us through that.

@DivaLasVegas

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/01/iran-rapid-rise-in-covid-19-cases-stokes-fears-of-second-wave

No second waves then, some of you were saying?

What is more worrying is that they class this as their second wave and their numbers are still lower than ours!

It's exactly this kind of gleeful smuggery at bad news that @AlternativePerspective was referring too.

Between this ghoulishness and people discovering their inner Stasi informant, this pandemic has uncovered som very unpleasant sides of human nature.

Those of you calling preppers selfish can get to fuck, I am sick of being called names, belittled, sneered at and talked down too.

It doesn't take a massive amount of common sense or imagination to realise that some people cannot get to the shops. WE ARE SHIELDING.
We can't have one member of the family pop to Tesco, if our child gets CV, HE WILL DIE, simple.

Those of us that can get delivery slots are at the mercy of the shops being able to deliver what we order, if you have someone in the family with disordered eating patterns or specific restrictions to their diets and the supermarket can't facilitate then what do you propose? We just starve? No of course we don't, we add an extra something every week to cover those times.

We don't need people like you making us feel bad for it ffs.

It's awful feeling sheer panic when Asda delivery email arrives to tell you that the one thing your disabled child will eat hasn't been sent. Some of us don't have family to go out and hunt for these items at shops, we just don't.

I will do do what I always do:

Make sure I have food for a month in normal usage (would last longer if rationed) plus 8 weeks of tins and store cupboard items.

Make sure I have ample toiletries and consumables.

I do this as I have had long periods of physical and mental illness from my mid 20s, where I could not or would not go outside.

No need to panic when you are prepared.

I’m preparing by staying in and not catching it

I am going to walk round in full PPE for the next 10 years - just in case.

Some people need to get a grip...…..

Not really preparing for a second wave as i’m emergency services. Just preparing for my rest days and annual leave to get cancelled again

But on the plus, petrol is cheap and the roads are somewhat quiet so it wouldnt be a bad thing...

I’ve been social distancing so I’m not one of those who gets it!

@MyEyesightIsBadLetsGoForADrive Sounds like you have prepared well and your family and you have benefitted as a result. I think you should be proud of yourself because you have made a bad situation a bit better with your foresight.

What is the harm in gradually stocking up? I do this every Winter anyway in case we get snowed in. If we didn't need to do this, the food won't go to waste - it will get eaten.

I'm also prepping by loosing some weight and getting fitter in order to improve my immunity and be healthier just in case I get Corona.

I might also buy some cards gifts so that I can still give something to my local friends when they have birthdays. I can easily leave things on the doorstep if I am allowed out. So far, I've ended up ordering online and it has cost me more this way.

I'm also going to shop early for Christmas particularly stockings. I have teenagers would would be fine with money as a main present but whom love their stockings. Nearer the time, I will be adding a few treats to the stock cupboard so long as the food will still be in date by Christmas. I'll be buying dried fruit soon ready to make Christmas cake.

I think it’s wise to be a bit prepared and sticking up now with a couple of tins or some loo roll will prevent to chaos we had before . I was people who were all bulk buying at the same time that caused the problems . We were lucky to have some stocks in as we had to self isolate just before lockdown as I was sick . I think with track and trace we may individually need to have mini lockdowns going forward

There is a school of thought (From people cleverer and more qualifies than myself) that because COVID-19 isn’t a flu strain there won’t be a 2nd wave. There maybe be an upsurge because of the increase on people going about their daily lives again but that is not an actual 2nd wave.

At this point in time then I am not even thinking of it, hopefully there will be a vaccine by then!

I have always had well stocked cupboards as grew up on a farm and developed my mum's siege mentality as we used to get snowed in for weeks etc.

So I was pretty much OK when the panic buying started. Things I have changed, is to make sure that I have several tins of baked beans, as even though I had 8, we couldn't get any more for weeks and bought directly from Heinz in the end.

I have also stocked the freezer with frozen meat and frozen potato products, as we couldn't get fresh chicken, or sausages etc. Also have bread and milk in the freezer. I am usually well stocked on toilet roll anyway, but make sure I now have a spare 12 pack.

oh and cheese! couldn't get cheddar anywhere even if you could get a delivery.

We are maintaining enough food for 3 weeks in case of need to isolate plus a bit for margin. When there is a second wave, there may not be so much panic buying as people may have realised the shops won't run out if everyone behaves sensibly. The only thing I still can't get is disinfectant and disinfectant wipes. Will be well stocked on heating oil and wood and will probably upgrade my iMac and iPad if I get chance between end of this wave and start of next. Get to a dentist and a hairdresser while you can. There will defo be at least one more wave of this.

No. I don’t expect a second wave. At least not during the summer. Not till October, if ever.