Shopping and the Plague

Shopping for me is not a social experience.  It is not that I dislike shopping ( although spending money is not something that I do easily) - generally, it is just something that I need to get it over with as quickly as possible. I neither seek nor expect social interactions while shopping. In fact, I generally find conversations while buying food or clothing irritating and disruptive. My singular goal while shopping is to get in and out as fast as possible. A good food shopping trip for me is at least partially defined by being back home by 9:00 AM without having said a word except for the obligatory pleasantries at the check-out counter.

I was therefore surprised when on my last shopping excursion while standing in the soup aisle of my local Superstore, a man beside me said " stocking up for the plague?"

I said " had not thought about it"

He said " they can't stop it in China - they won't be able to stop it here either"

I said " well I guess what will be- will be"

He said "they say you should buy stuff that you would eat anyways"

I said "I guess"

He walked off in one direction - I in another.

It was a disturbing experience, not just because my thoughts were interrupted by a stranger talking to me, but also because someone was actually stocking up extra food - getting ready for the time when he would have to hide in his house from random victims of the newest Coronavirus. It was also a little bit scary when I realized that for a brief moment, I too wondered if I should be buying extra brown rice.

I wonder how many of those types of conversations are happening in my community and across Canada. I wonder if people are actually buying food to put in their basements, their garages or under their beds for the time when our health care system is overwhelmed by the number of people who have been infected by this virus. I wonder how many people are actually truly concerned and worried.

I think those folks need to take a deep breath and relax just a little bit. There are, of course, reasons for concern. The virus is contagious and it can be deadly. Clearly, anyone who has been in contact with a person who has visited that particular region of China should be concerned. I would be even more concerned if I was on a cruise boat having to breathe the recycled air of people who are developing symptoms but I think most Canadians are reasonably safe.

As of yesterday - .000533% of people in China have died from this disease. We have no way of knowing how many of those individuals were receiving any kind of medical care. That percentage is approximately the same percentage as the number of Canadians who were killed in automobile accidents in 2017 (https://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/motorvehiclesafety/canadian-motor-vehicle-traffic-collision-statistics-2017.html).

Do we need to be cautious - of course? Should we monitor the situations - yes. Do we need to practice safe health practices - always? Do we need to panic - not yet?