This morning, someone posted that the CDC kept warning us about COVID19 but hadn’t told us what to do—she wondered if we should buy masks or stock canned goods. And of course, she “thanked” Trump for slashing the CDC budget so they couldn’t “protect” us. She also mentioned that the CDC was responsible for “confining” the virus.
Naturally, I responded with “what exactly are they supposed to do that they aren’t doing or can’t do? They’ve already said to wash your hands, stay home if you’re sick, etc.” and her reply was “Okay, I’ll just listen to Trump and not worry about it. The CDC is probably making a big deal about it anyway.”
I have a lot of problems with this conversations.
First, yes, the CDC has told us to up our handwashing game, that masks don’t work, COVID19 is likely to get to the point of community spread.
Second, no, they haven’t said to stock food and supplies but to me, and to many, that’s a common sense approach even for a wait and see problem—in other words, before it becomes an emergency.
Third, any budget cuts do not prevent the CDC from expanding on their list of precautions—money doesn’t limit their words in a press release or interview, they could certainly add to their list if the situation warranted it.
Fourth, while the CDC’s purpose IS to control the introduction and spread of infectious diseases, in point of fact, both of these things are impossible for a government agency. The CDC can become aware of a disease, the CDC can make recommendations to slow the spread of a disease, and the CDC can research and concoct a vaccine or a cure. Many people make the mistake of thinking the CDC can actually control these things. And saying so, honestly, makes you look kind of naïve.
Fifth, her last comment of “okay, fine” was the equivalent of another dig at Trump and a blatant willingness to overlook any other single thing I said which, in essence, was “It’s not a bad idea to stock up on a few things just in case, and to do so for any potential emergency.”
Some people refuse to take care of themselves at all, relying on the government to tell the truth, in a timely fashion, and for SOMEONE to make sure they’re fed and medicated and so forth. Don’t be that person. Use common sense—I promise, it won’t hurt you.
Here are my recommendations:
Avoid places with large numbers of people—those people could have been anywhere in the last month, maybe even China; or sat on a plane next to someone who had; or—there are plenty of scenarios.
Have enough food, water, medicine, and other supplies to last you a month—and that’s conservative. You might feel well, you might BE well, and you may still be able to go out and shop; but will there be anything in the store? Those who package the food may become sick, or those who deliver it, or those who work at the stores. Yes, even the almighty Amazon may be effected.
Keep your gas tank full, in case maybe you need or want to go elsewhere, particularly if you have a welcome destination and you live in a large, heavily populated area. Keep all your important papers in one accessible location so you can grab those too, if it comes down to that.
And finally, read about COVID19. It doesn’t help anyone to bury your head in the sand. Read different points of view, listen to different announcements, and draw your own conclusions. Depend on yourself.
Robin Writes 
I’ve had a few people comment on my posts. They think I’m overreacting or completely bonkers. That’s okay. They aren’t the most brilliant people I’ve ever met anyway.
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I’ve seen those… But whether or not COVID19 becomes a bigger problem, there are plenty of other scenarios out there waiting to happen.
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Yes. Blame Trump or [fill in the blank with current president] for cutting an agency’s funding when it is congress that writes the spending bills.
These are the people that won’t make in a real SHTF scenario because the governement won’t be there to hold their hands. They’ll knock on doors asking for food. When they get really desperate and try to take it from those who have it, they’ll find out why some people stock their ammunition on a shelf next to the food.
Instead of debating, I usually just ask these people if they ever considered taking care of themselves instead of relying on the government to treat them like helpless babies.
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Amen, brother!
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If any presidents are to blame, it’s not Trump.
This virus is less deadly than this year’s flu. I guess enough folks did not react to the flu, so…
I have not noticed a difference at all in the white bread aisle at my local grocery. I think no one really believes it.
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I don’t think any one person is to blame, and as I said, Trump isn’t on the front lines so isn’t necessarily giving correct information. Part of what makes this illness frightening is the long incubation period and the worldwide spread and, often, headlines from other countries.
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Thanks, Robin, for another great post! You’ve got more common sense packed into that brain of yours than exist in most of the government officials in Washington, D.C. all put-together!
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Aw, thanks, Dolph!
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Oops! That should have been “exists”.
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The problem is, the public needs trusted information. That isn’t something that the public can get on their own – they need to be provided with information that they can trust, and that can only come from the public authorites. So when the CDC and the WHO are saying one thing, and this administration is saying something totally contradictory, the question is, who is giving us trusted information, and who is telling us lies? Furthermore, what is the danger to us if we make the wrong call and end up trusting the lies and ignoring what was actually the correct information?
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Technically, the CDC is part of the administration, as a government entity–as for what the president says, well, he’s not a doctor (I don’t think any presidents have been doctors, except long ago) and he’s not on the front lines of this illness. For too long we’ve been conditioned to “believe” what Washington says, or any government entity thereof. This is why I suggest that people do their own research and follow the news and use critical thinking to come to a conclusion.
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But we aren’t doctors either. We need reliabe information from people we can trust. Contradictions and mixed messages are only going to increase worry and panic. Furthermore, we need the government and authorities to be effective and trustworthy, because all our critical thinking and personal research isn’t going to help if this becomes a pandemic.
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I understand your point, and I agree everyone needs to be on the same page. Here’s what I do: first, I never trust a politician, unless I’ve met them personally and have had a chance to sit down and chat–and that’s maybe two people. Maybe. Ever. Second, I read the news in the morning and evening, sometimes in between, and occasionally catch a little TV news. Third, I check out most fantastical claims to determine if they’re true, false, or some of both–and the latter is usually the case. Like, for instance, the news that Trump cut the CDC budget; he did not. It’s in the works for the next fiscal year, but is not law and has not passed. At this point, I doubt it will. And fourth, I’m a prepper, so at this point I’m making sure all my ducks are in a row. I’m keeping a “watch and wait” attitude and suspect that we’ll know more in which direction this is going over the next month.
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Yes the upcoming cuts to the cdc and the WHO haven’t happened, but there were cuts before and the whole system they used with the ebola crisis was dismantled altogether. That’s not good. Sure ebola is much more fatal but far easier to contain. Some experts say that this could hit a third of the World’s population. With a 2% mortality rate that makes over a billion dead.
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As I said before, I’m watching and waiting before I get all freaked out over this. And you know, everyone seems to be all “OMG, BUDGET CUTS!” when sometimes it isn’t about preventing an agency or whoever from doing their jobs, it just cuts back a bit on extraneous personnel. I hadn’t heard about the one-third, but I’ll be checking it out.
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Oh, and may I suggest that you check the foreign news media as well as international wire services like ap and reuter so you see things that aren’t getting covered by the American media.
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Oh, I do!
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