1. Have a plan in place with friends or family to help you access resources without breaking the quarantine conditions and to help sort day-to-day situations.
2. Toilet rolls are the least of your concerns. A few packs should do. Instead make sure you have adequate supplies of essential items like soap, toothpaste, disinfectant and detergent.
3. Stock the food pantry wisely. Don’t fill the cupboards with dozens of cans you probably won’t need. Concentrate on a sensible supply of essential dried items like pasta, rice, quinoa, legumes and oats that can form the basis for lots of meals. Get some frozen veg, cans of useful items like tomatoes and tuna, and bag up and freeze fresh meat and fish. Don’t forget online shopping deliveries will still be (hopefully) be operating.
4. Be sure you have a plentiful supply of prescription medication that you or anyone in your family needs.
5. Make sure your online banking is set up appropriately for any transactions you may need to make.
6. Talk to your bank manager and have a strategy in place to cover any extra expenses in case you’re suddenly not earning, and get approval to defer mortgage or hire purchase payments if necessary.
7. Make sure you’re going to be amused. There’s only so much binge-watching you can do – stock up on some magazines, books, a pack of cards, hobby materials … anything that you or your family enjoy doing to help beat the boredom.
8. If you have a dog you are probably going to have to arrange for someone to care for it or at least walk it. Check with your vet about rules around pets and how the quarantine may affect them so that you are prepared in advance.
9. You may be quarantined before you feel the effects of COVID-19, or be part of a general lock-down. Check what the health authorities are advising and visit your pharmacist to ensure you have the necessary medication that will help to relieve the symptoms. Get a reliable thermometer if you don’t already have one – fevers are common in sufferers.
10. If you have young children especially, ensure everyone is on the same page about washing and drying hands, covering mouths when coughing or sneezing and other preventative methods that could help members of your household who are quarantined but not currently infected.
