I'm somewhere between irritated by people's stupidity and sympathetic to their fears. We're just being asked to stay home so an at-risk section of our population may live. We don't need Doomsday Doug who thought this wa a hoax a couple weeks ago to load up his oversized pickup with all the groceries and to carry his shot gun around. I had to get creative to acquire dog food, laundry detergent and kids Mucinex online and I have not been able to get the yogurt my kid loves. Not so bad overall, just a slight irritation so far.
I kind of agree with those that say a really strong emphasis on quarantining old folks will, in eventual hindsight, prove to be all that was needed in most areas. Worst case scenarios and fear have probably ruled a lot of decision making. We will see.
I think that the only real collateral damage we will see from scofflaw behavior is that, unfortunately, there will be more nursing home employees becoming infected in their off-hours and carrying this KungFlu into nursing homes and assisted living facilities where they work. That is really a sad eventuality, I'm afraid. The side benefit provided by scofflaws, and the leaders won't really acknowledge this because a bunch of weenies will then claim they are "helping" when they are self-indulgent or pushing for a relaxation of restrictions, is that we will accomplish herd immunity by their actions. Leaders know this, know human nature. I guarantee they are comparing current movements in the public with typical ones and trying to project the spread of this thing, trying to strike a balance that doesn't overwhelm healthcare providers while turning it off in the fall.
As a retiree among my siblings and a local to my parents, I'm doing the shopping for my mom and dad. Old folks still at home should likely be pretty safe if they stay in. I had multiple opened packages of N95 masks from projects around the house, and I wear one when I go in their home, just in case. I shaved my beard and had my hair cut short. I'm sure many other people are doing the same.
Shortages on the shelves are to be expected, right ? I mean, how many other kids are home from school ? Their parents beat you to the yogurt, and orders have been filled at a formerly predictable pace. One extra bag of dog food purchased early by every third household, for something that lasts typically a month or more, is going to break a supply chain.
The TP hoarding is kind of a mystery, but I'll blame women. Every time she piddles, my wife peels off a run of TP long enough to make a jumbo cheerleader pom-pom, pats that lily, and flushes. Total overkill. A house with three well-hydrated females doing that is going to use a lot, and they aren't gonna run out.
