KANSAS CITY, Mo. — People around the Kansas City area are getting ready for the possibility of a lengthy quarantine.
"We've got meat, and we're going to freeze it," Cherry David, a shopper outside Marsh's Sun Fresh in Kansas City, Missouri, said.
The 41 Action News Investigators asked shoppers if they had all the necessary supplies to get through a two-week quarantine.
"We're all good, and we're just going to hunker down and have our social distancing moment, I think," David said.
Others were not so sure.
"I'm not very good at planning long-term," another shopper, Kayvon Sarraf, said. "I'm just trying to plan for the next few days, so hopefully it doesn't get that bad."
The American Red Cross said developing a plan now is a good idea.
"It's not a time to go overboard in preparedness, but think about what your family needs if you were to need to shelter in place for say 14 days or so," Red Cross spokeswoman Angie Springs said.
That includes a two-week supply of food, including some non-perishables.
David and her roommate picked up canned food as well as frozen vegetables, which retain most of the nutritional value of fresh vegetables.
Prescription medication is another item you should double check now.
"If there's a medication you take daily, make sure that you have some extra in your home," Springs said.
It's also a good time to take a look at your supply of over-the-counter medications to treat fever and other symptoms.
Of course, that doesn't mean you need to clear the shelves. Just make sure you and your family are ready.
"There's no better time to be prepared than now, whether it is a pandemic like what we're having with coronavirus, or it is that spring storm that we would be expecting," Springs said.
Here's a suggested list of supplies for a quarantine from the American Red Crossand Department of Homeland Security)
- 14 days worth of food
- Extra prescription medication
- Over-the-counter medications like pain relievers, stomach remedies and cough and cold medicines
- Vitamins
- Fluids with electrolytes
- Diapers and formula, if you have an infant at home
- Copies and electronic versions of health records from doctors, hospitals and pharmacies
