Health Team

How do you prepare for coronavirus?

State and federal health officials are urging Americans to prepare for a possible widespread coronavirus outbreak. But how do people prepare?

Posted Updated

By
Aaron Thomas
, WRAL reporter
RALEIGH, N.C. — State and federal health officials are urging Americans to prepare for a possible widespread coronavirus outbreak.

But how do people prepare?

Spring Hope residents John Jordan and Tammie Jordan said they frequently check their phones for coronavirus updates.

"What do we need to do to stay ahead of this?" John Jordan said. "Just give me more information. Instead of just preparing, instead, tell me what I should be doing, and that way, if I’m not doing it, I can start doing that."

Tammie Jordan said she already tells her children to wash their hands and keep their hands off their faces.

"I'm trying to cover bases. It just seems like it’s not enough. I feel like there’s more to it than what I’m telling them to do," she said.

But State Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Tilson said Tammie Jordan is on the right track, noting the most practical steps people can take involve the same advice health care providers dispense during flu season.

"For an individual or a family," Tilson said, "really good hygiene, washing your hands, starting to think about how often you touch your face."

Families also need to develop plans in case parents or children need to stay home from work or school for an extended period because someone is sick, she said.

Tilson said it's fine, but not necessary, for families to stock up on tissues and hand sanitizer. But she urged people not to go out and buy face masks if they're not sick.

Face masks are useful to keep from spreading germs if you're sick, she said. But they don't really work the other way around.

"I’m just nervous about the flu, period. But this is just a little extra, I feel like, than the flu," Tammie Jordan said. "I’m trying to do all I can to protect myself and my family, but it’s just the other ones out there that I’m concerned about."

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