Journal of the Virus Year: My experiences with the virus: March 18, 2020

I hadn't planned to write so frequently but developments here in Utah are progressing very rapidly. Today we awoke to an earthquake. Actually, I was already up and working. We are far from the epicenter which was up in Magma, (appropriately named), Utah (oops Magna). There are quite a few local news stories. The trumpet on the Angel Moroni on the Salt Lake Temple fell off. See "Salt Lake Temple sustained minor damage during 5.7 earthquake." Well, if the lines were long at Costco from the Coronavirus COVID-19 yesterday, the lines ought to be longer today with the added incentive of an earthquake. Interestingly, the Temple was already under renovation partly for the reason to add seismic upgrades.

Panic buying is a common reaction to all kinds of emergencies and disasters. My wife and I have never had to buy anything in a panic because we have kept an adequate supply of essential items on hand all of our lives. Over the years, this supply of essentials has been generically termed a "Year's Supply." Lately, however, the time period has been reduced to a more reasonable 3-month supply. Food storage has commonly been associated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but many other organizations and even churches promote self-reliance and preparedness. See Self-Reliance Services.

The one thing we cannot figure out is why the panic buyers have focused on toilet paper and bottled water.

Every day is a new adventure. Stray tuned for comments on social distancing and other vital topics.