7 ms·

I haven't seen any good guides for individual and household preparedness, but I think that this guide "Interim Guidance for Preventing the Spread of Coronavirus

I haven't seen any good guides for individual and household preparedness, but I think that this guide "Interim Guidance for Preventing the Spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Homes and Residential Communities" (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/guidance-prevent-spread.html https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/guidance-preve...), especially the precautions section, can be a useful place to see what would be needed to prepare. Some things to have besides food storage and a normal supply of medicine would be to have cleaning supplies, maybe gloves and rubbing alcohol, and perhaps face masks. One issue is that face masks may be good to keep available for those who need it most. I'm not sure what is best practice to ensure you aren't taking face masks from healthcare providers or someone more in need.

aphextim 7y ago
A good overview food storage guide. http://extensionpublications.unl.edu/assets/pdf/ec446.pdf http://extensionpublications.unl.edu/assets/pdf/ec446.pdf
- vkou 7y ago
  These storage guidelines are incredibly paranoid. Milk does not go bad a week after opening. Eggs don't spoil after two to four weeks in the fridge. A bag of bacon in the freezer isn't going to end you because it sat there for three months. Fruit juice doesn't go bad in 3 days. Butter doesn't go bad after two weeks at room temperate, let alone in a fridge.
  - ars 7y ago
    Agreed. Eggs can last 3 months outside a fridge, and yes, that includes eggs in the us.
    - Alex3917 7y ago
      > Eggs can last 3 months outside a fridge, and yes, that includes eggs in the us. Commercially bought eggs in the US need to be refrigerated because they remove the outer antibiotic coating before sending them to stores.
      - blake1 7y ago
        Partly true. The washing process removes the natural coating, but this is replaced by a synthetic coating. GP is correct.
      - ars 7y ago
        > because they remove the outer antibiotic coating before sending them to stores. The coating is oil from the chicken, and they wash it and replace it with mineral oil, which works just as well. I speak from experience: I have not refrigerated US bought eggs for around 10 years. Not a single problem. If you keep them un-refrigerated for more than 2 months (which I did because there was a really good deal, so I bought a lot), the eggs are not fresh, the yolk falls apart easily. (So not great in certain recipes.) However they are not spoiled or anything like that, and the taste is unchanged.
    - bacon_waffle 7y ago
      If eggs are oiled and refrigerated, they'll last more like 8 or 9 months. I think the oiling is an old maritime technique, but came across it wintering at South Pole. Of course, 3 months is plenty for the present discussion.
  - dragonsky67 7y ago
    That really does depend upon your definition of room tempreature. I'm pretty sure anything above about 30 degrees C will put pay to many food stuffs in fairly short order. Everybodies storage conditions differ, tempreature, humidity and light exposure all have an impact on how long foods will safely store. The other element is how the item is handled. Traditional bacon stored in brine can last for months in most conditions however I would not attempt to store opened bacon for more than a week or so. Likewise if you have raw meat, it is all about what it has been exposed to that can make it dangerous. Cooked meat, if uncontaminated and cooked through can last for quiet a while and still be safe. Once contaminated it can become dangerous quiet quickly.
vkou 7y ago
Do the N95 face masks that you can buy at the grocery even do anything to prevent the spread of coronavirus?
- Spooky23 7y ago
  No, they do almost nothing once they become moist.
- iudqnolq 7y ago
  N95 masks are complicated to fit properly. For it to work you need a proper seal. The CDC says there is no general sizing guideline and recommends that the fit be tested yearly. I'm unsure how to go about doing this as an inexperienced individual.
- cryoshon 7y ago
  my take on this is that those masks are probably useless, and even if they were useful, most members of the public will not utilize them correctly. so, i advise people to leave the face masks of all types for utilization by our healthcare workers, as there will soon be a shortage and as a member of the public you should mostly be sitting at home rather than wandering around areas with other people anyway.
  - James_Henry 7y ago
    The CDC is telling people to use face masks (not necessarily n95 or p100 respirators) when ill or around those that are ill.
- James_Henry 7y ago
  From what I understand n95 masks should work when used properly. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/respirator-use-faq.html https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/respirator-use...
- claudeganon 7y ago
  They certainly help people from touching their noses and mouthes, which we do all the time unconsciously and is a vector for transmission.

aphextim 7y ago

A good overview food storage guide. http://extensionpublications.unl.edu/assets/pdf/ec446.pdf http://extensionpublications.unl.edu/assets/pdf/ec446.pdf

vkou 7y ago
These storage guidelines are incredibly paranoid. Milk does not go bad a week after opening. Eggs don't spoil after two to four weeks in the fridge. A bag of bacon in the freezer isn't going to end you because it sat there for three months. Fruit juice doesn't go bad in 3 days. Butter doesn't go bad after two weeks at room temperate, let alone in a fridge.
- ars 7y ago
  Agreed. Eggs can last 3 months outside a fridge, and yes, that includes eggs in the us.
  - Alex3917 7y ago
    > Eggs can last 3 months outside a fridge, and yes, that includes eggs in the us. Commercially bought eggs in the US need to be refrigerated because they remove the outer antibiotic coating before sending them to stores.
    - blake1 7y ago
      Partly true. The washing process removes the natural coating, but this is replaced by a synthetic coating. GP is correct.
    - ars 7y ago
      > because they remove the outer antibiotic coating before sending them to stores. The coating is oil from the chicken, and they wash it and replace it with mineral oil, which works just as well. I speak from experience: I have not refrigerated US bought eggs for around 10 years. Not a single problem. If you keep them un-refrigerated for more than 2 months (which I did because there was a really good deal, so I bought a lot), the eggs are not fresh, the yolk falls apart easily. (So not great in certain recipes.) However they are not spoiled or anything like that, and the taste is unchanged.
  - bacon_waffle 7y ago
    If eggs are oiled and refrigerated, they'll last more like 8 or 9 months. I think the oiling is an old maritime technique, but came across it wintering at South Pole. Of course, 3 months is plenty for the present discussion.
- dragonsky67 7y ago
  That really does depend upon your definition of room tempreature. I'm pretty sure anything above about 30 degrees C will put pay to many food stuffs in fairly short order. Everybodies storage conditions differ, tempreature, humidity and light exposure all have an impact on how long foods will safely store. The other element is how the item is handled. Traditional bacon stored in brine can last for months in most conditions however I would not attempt to store opened bacon for more than a week or so. Likewise if you have raw meat, it is all about what it has been exposed to that can make it dangerous. Cooked meat, if uncontaminated and cooked through can last for quiet a while and still be safe. Once contaminated it can become dangerous quiet quickly.

vkou 7y ago

Do the N95 face masks that you can buy at the grocery even do anything to prevent the spread of coronavirus?

Spooky23 7y ago
No, they do almost nothing once they become moist.
iudqnolq 7y ago
N95 masks are complicated to fit properly. For it to work you need a proper seal. The CDC says there is no general sizing guideline and recommends that the fit be tested yearly. I'm unsure how to go about doing this as an inexperienced individual.
cryoshon 7y ago
my take on this is that those masks are probably useless, and even if they were useful, most members of the public will not utilize them correctly. so, i advise people to leave the face masks of all types for utilization by our healthcare workers, as there will soon be a shortage and as a member of the public you should mostly be sitting at home rather than wandering around areas with other people anyway.
- James_Henry 7y ago
  The CDC is telling people to use face masks (not necessarily n95 or p100 respirators) when ill or around those that are ill.
James_Henry 7y ago
From what I understand n95 masks should work when used properly. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/respirator-use-faq.html https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/respirator-use...
claudeganon 7y ago
They certainly help people from touching their noses and mouthes, which we do all the time unconsciously and is a vector for transmission.