EDITORS NOTE: WHILE THE SCHOOL IS SHUTDOWN, THE TEAM AT THE DEVIL’S ADVOCATE WILL CONTINUE TO UPDATE THE CLASS WITH STORIES AND EDITORIALS ABOUT THE CONCERNS FACING THE STUDENTS OF LHS.

Coronavirus and Symptoms:

The coronavirus (COVID19) is from a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases. This virus is believed to come from a wet market in Wuhan, China,  where dead and live animals were sold, such as fish and birds. As of March 21 the coronavirus has infected over 300,000 people worldwide and has killed over 13,000 people. The symptoms of this virus are a fever, cough, tiredness and difficulty breathing. The coronavirus has caused some countries such as Italy to go on national lock-down.

How to respond:

As most of the world is getting hit with this virus, the demand of supplies like hand sanitizer, tissue paper and other necessities such as food and water have been flying off the shelves of stores. Many people believe that it’s important to stock up on supplies before the virus gets more extreme, but many think that it’s not necessary to buy supplies and it’s worse if everyone buys as much supplies as they can to prepare for what’s to come.

Although many citizens are stocking up on food and necessities, what do they actually need to do to survive this disease?  Many people think that it’s not necessary to stock up on food and to only get what you need for the time being. One of the heavily stocked up items for families is bottled water. The Boston Globe reported “The coronavirus doesn’t pose any threat to the water supply. Those in areas without access to safe water should have extra on hand, but for the majority of Americans, a stockpile of bottled water isn’t necessary to ride out a prolonged period of self-isolation.”

Why we shouldn’t stock up on supplies:

Stocking up on supplies like food, water and masks is not good. Buying more than you need causes there to be a shortage of food and other things for the rest of the public. Many grocery stores are limiting the amount of items and water cases that one can buy. A researcher at Boston college, Zay Zagorsky said “Modern economies run on trust and confidence.” He added “COVID-19 is breaking down that trust. People are losing confidence that they will be able to go outside and get what they need when they need it. This leads to hoarding items like toilet paper.”

This hoarding is rooted in a “zero risk bias,” in which “people prefer to try to eliminate one type of possibly superficial risk entirely rather than do something that would reduce their total risk by a greater amount,” he said.

Stocking up on food may be  convenient for yourself but not for the rest of the public

Many experts are weighing in on what you should do to help get through this tough time. Some believe that the best choice is to stock up and make sure you get what you need for the next few weeks, but others believe it’s best for you to stock up a little or not at all. Not stocking up at all will ensure that every family gets what they need for supplies for the time being. With many families planning ahead and stocking up with what they need, it creates chaos in the grocery store as many families are left dry with little to no food.