Written by Pat Henry on The Prepper Journal.

The US is only recently getting a taste of the ‘lockdown’ that’s been in effect for several countries in Europe, notably Italy and Spain.

I asked a couple of my contacts in Europe about what life under lockdown has been like. Esther lives in Barcelona, Spain, and is a project manager for a large company. Kyt lives in Milan, Italy. You might recognize her as the author of a recent series on tracking for preppers. She travels a lot as a tracking instructor.

I sent them both a series of questions about what it’s been like since their countries went into lockdown. Remember, neither country has a federalized government system like we do in America, so while their regions have some autonomy and self-governance, the shut-down orders came directly from their federal governments. — Pat

The Prepper Journal: When did the lockdown go into effect? 
Esther: March 13 at 10pm

Kyt: It was declared official on March 10th, after a week of uncertainty about the whole situation. The first zones to be declared “RED” were Lombardia and Veneto. Because they are regions within the country (somewhat like your states), You can imagine how the panic started crawling into people’ minds…we are talking about millions of people.

TPJ: What warning / how much warning did you have in your region for the lockdown?
Esther: Almost none.

Kyt: It was immediate, but there was some warning. The night before, hundreds of citizens tried to catch the night and overnight trains in order to reach their relatives, mostly located in South of Italy. Quite a massive exodus.

TPJ: Where were you when the government order came?
Esther: At my home in Barcelona.

Kyt: I was already locked in at home. I kind of barricaded myself in on March 3^rd. The terrible news started spreading fast around the last weekend of February. At that time, I was leading two tracking courses in Rome, so I got home as quickly as I could.

TPJ: Where are you now? How long have you been there? When can you go home?
Kyt: At home, reducing my “coming out” just to purchase food. As mentioned above, we’ve been under lockdown since March 3^rd! I haven’t seen my parents since that date.

TPJ: Did you have extra clothes or supplies? This would seem a perfect situation for having a ‘bugout bag’, but with extra clothes and day-to-day items like shampoo, etc.
Kyt: As I consider myself a prepper, I have always two bugout bags prepared, within easy reach, that contain all the necessary gear: rations, water purification systems, fire starting kit, medical kit, extra clothing, several good blades, sleeping bag and so on. I have plenty of food and potable water, as I have always kept my pantry fully assorted. If I had to, I would opt to reach a second house in the mountains, where I can get all I need for myself and my parents.

TPJ: Can you go out at all, or must you stay in the house/apartment all the time? How do you get food? 
Esther: 

• We only can go outside if we have to buy food, buy medicine, go to work or go for a walk with our dogs
• You have to go outside alone. Only can go accompanied if you are disabled
• If you must drive, you must go alone in your car
• If you don’t obey the law, you will have a fine, from 100€ to 1 year in prison. Most of the fines are 600€ (about $107 and $647, respectively- TPJ)

Kyt: I must stay at home, but I can get out ONLY in the areas near my residence. I purchase food in a small supermarket that is within walking distance. I consider myself extremely lucky for that.

TPJ: What’s the situation with COVID-19 in your region? 
Esther: The situation is not good at all. Less than 20% rooms available in the ER, and no masks or gloves are available for sanitary workers, so they are working with no protection.

Kyt: At the time I wrote this, the death toll has exceeded 5,000 in whole Italy. In my region, Lombardia, it has reached 3,456, while people who are now totally recovered are 5,865. The contagious line seems to show a decrease in the last few days.

TPJ: How are your family and friends dealing with this? 
Esther:  All of us are at home. Except for me and my cousin, no one is working. My cousin works in a hospital and I’m able to work from home during this.

Kyt: Scared, but trying to hold on. Italians do have a lot of hope, and we survived the plague back in 1600!

TPJ: What advice do you have to readers of The Prepper Journal if they find themselves in this situation? 
Esther: Try to not get nervous. Do some exercise and try to keep your mind busy.

Kyt: My sincere advice is to avoid any kind of contact and wash ALL the packages you get at the grocery stores, Walmart and so on. You never know who touched them before you. Eat a lot of honey and chili peppers in order to help strengthen your immune system. Obviously, never touch your nose, mouth and eyes. Try to vary your food and exercise at home! Since you will be precluded of getting out, your body needs to gain as much as strength as possible. Sweating is good!

The post Life Under Lockdown appeared first on The Prepper Journal.

Written by Pat Henry on The Prepper Journal.

With much of the U.S. finding itself in increasing lockdowns due to the Coronavirus and COVID-19, and many countries in a complete lockdown, we thought this article from 2014 would be worth re-publishing.

We’re still seeing a lot of people who are ignoring basic self-distancing protocols and espousing a “government can’t tell me what to do.” I agree that government overreach has the real potential for getting bad, but voluntarily choosing to stay home or isolate is a much different scenario than the government imposing martial law.

The first is OK, the second abhorrent. With food availability possibly becoming an issue, what we don’t want is the government to be another obstacle in our wish to survive.

Be safe. Wash your hands. — Pat

The news has been almost completely focused on Ebola for the last couple of weeks and information outlets are pouring out details by the minute. This type of event is what the 24-Hour news cycle was created for and pundits on every side are breathlessly announcing news, interviewing witnesses and experts and showing hour after hour of footage of hospitals, people in yellow gowns, nitrile gloves and face-masks. It is enough to make a sane person crazy and it is a sober reminder to preppers everywhere that precautions for events like this are valid, prudent and perhaps in some of our cases, just in the nick of time.

Well, the Prepper Journal audience is full of sane people. I believe that most people who call themselves preppers are focused on taking simple logical steps to ensure the safety of their closest loved ones. It makes sense to pay attention to the news and shore up any supply needs that you might have. I believe it is very wise to keep an eye on the events in Dallas and elsewhere in the world in the event that this virus does grow outside of the limited scope that we have seen so far in the US at least.

When it is all said and done, this “outbreak” which isn’t really an outbreak at all here thankfully could end up disappearing from the news just as quickly as it came. Of course, it could also grow more serious. We aren’t clear exactly how Ebola is transmitted although very smart people are saying that it is hard to catch. So far, I am inclined to believe them only for the primary reason that we only have 3 cases at this time. Should that change I will be prepared to act and I am not going to relax simply because experts tell me not to be alarmed. I am not alarmed, but I am watching events closely as I am sure the rest of you are as well.

Self-Quarantine to reduce exposure risk

If Ebola does start to become a larger problem; if we begin to see a spike in cases, one possible option for limiting your exposure could be as simple as staying home.  Self-Quarantine is the practice of taking yourself out of the world so to speak to avoid contact with others completely. This is pretty much bugging in by definition. The NBC News crew that returned from reporting on Ebola had their cameraman test positive for Ebola so they agreed to Self Quarantine themselves to eliminate exposure to the public for the recommended incubation period of up to 21 days. In the case of Dr. Nancy Snyderman, this proved too long and soon they were caught out at a local restaurant which led to a huge public outcry and a weak apology from the doctor.

I won’t argue that staying in quarantine for up to 21 days would be very difficult, especially if you were alone, but if things do turn worse we might all be better off staying indoors. If Ebola cases increase substantially, we might not have a choice if Executive Order 13295 is put into action. 13295 allows for the “apprehension, detention, or conditional release of individuals to prevent the introduction, transmission, or spread of suspected communicable diseases.” Would you rather stay in your home and ride out the Ebola event or wherever the government wants to stick you? If you were faced with voluntary or involuntary quarantine to protect your family from Ebola, what would you need to consider?

Infrastructure for Self Quarantine

Not surprisingly, the CDC website has a lot of information about quarantine mostly from the viewpoint of the SARS epidemic back in 2003, but I believe the concepts and topics are still just as relevant if your goal is to reduce or eliminate possible exposure to infected individuals. Major infrastructure considerations for self-quarantine are:

• Communication Options – Telephone, cell phones, Ham Radio to keep in touch with others outside of your home. Shortwave radio is another good option assuming the regular lines of communication are down.
• Electricity – In a grid up scenario this should be fine, but if the grid goes down, do you have enough electricity for up to 21 days of isolation?
• Heat Source – Winter is approaching so a plan to keep warm is important. I have Kerosene Heaters and plenty of stored fuel but I would personally need to augment my supply for very cold conditions. Right now, cold isn’t a factor, but 21 days without power in January would be tougher.
• Potable Water – A core element of any prepper supply list is to have water on hand. Enough water for one gallon per person per day. If you have a family of 4 and are forced into quarantine from Ebola for 21 days that would be 84 gallons of water at a minimum.
• Waste and Sanitation – As long as the utilities are functioning this shouldn’t be a problem, but if the crisis explodes (no pun intended) you may not have city water to fill the toilets so alternate accommodations would need to be made. Grid down sanitation options are one possibility but would require you to go outside if the water and sewer lines were out of commission.
• Food – Do you have enough food to last for 21 days for your entire family? Again, with society still functioning I guess you could have neighbors bring food over but you wouldn’t want to be going to the grocery store.
• Entertainment – 21 days in your home is a long time. 21 days cooped up with your family is an eternity in the most easy going and loving homes. You should have a plan to counter boredom if you want to preserve your sanity along with your health.

Accommodations for Self Quarantine

If you are limiting your exposure as a family unit and by that I mean if everyone in your family is together in this then you can go on living (with certain exceptions) as you were although you wouldn’t be going outside. Would you stop your mail or risk exposure by touching something that another individual had contacted?

I am sure that it depends somewhat on the nature of any potential Ebola outbreak. It could be that the current convention that you must come in contact with bodily fluids from infected people in order to contract the disease holds. If that were the case, you could probably safely move about your yard, but quarantine does mean your trips to the malls, movie theaters, school events, plays, sporting events, hospital visits to sick friends would all be out of the question.

• Could you work from home? – In today’s environment there are many of us who could work from home full time. As long as I had internet, power and a cell phone I could work anywhere in the world. Online meetings will probably be more common if travel is restricted during any outbreak. Actually, that would be fine with me too as the last place I would want to be during any kind of disease outbreak is at an airport or any place away from home really.
• Could your children do schoolwork at home? – This would be tough for some but I imagine that a lot of schools would have to offer concessions in the case of quarantine. Certainly if the government locked everything down schools would either forgive homework or lean on online systems that are largely in place already. We still have one child that is home-schooled so she wouldn’t get out of anything, but another already gets her assignments online so staying out wouldn’t be a huge burden.
• How would you pay your bills? – As long as we have money in the accounts, almost all of our bills except my weekly tithe are done electronically. If that goes down we have bigger problems.

Provided you had running water, power and a job that would allow you to stay home you should only need food to survive outside of climatic extremes. Take all of that away though and your self-imposed quarantine could still save your life, but it would be much harder. Again this assumes that Ebola will always and only be passed from bodily fluids. In this case self-quarantine to reduce exposure should be doable for most people with even basic preparations. Let’s hope we don’t see anything worse.

The post What is Your Self-Quarantine Plan? appeared first on The Prepper Journal.

Fear of COVID-19 has fundamentally transformed our entire country in a matter of weeks, and as long as people are afraid of this virus life is definitely not going to return to normal.  In fact, every “shelter-in-place” order in America could be lifted tomorrow and economic activity would not rebound even close to previous levels because a large percentage of the population would still be extremely hesitant to leave their own homes.  As coronavirus survivors tell us stories of the hellish ordeals that they have endured, an increasing number of Americans are finally realizing how dangerous this crisis has become.  If you have asthma, a history of respiratory problems or other serious underlying health conditions, I strongly recommend that you do everything in your power to avoid catching this virus.  The global death toll is more than nine times larger than it was back on March 1st, and you do not want to become a statistic.

Here in the United States, we now have more confirmed cases than anywhere else in the world.  If you would have told me at the beginning of this month that the U.S. would be the first nation to 100,000 confirmed cases, I would have laughed at you.  And even though about half the country is currently under some sort of a “shelter-in-place” order, the virus just keeps on spreading.  In fact, the number of confirmed cases in the United States has doubled in just three days…

Confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S. surpassed 100,000 Friday, doubling in just three days as the pandemic accelerates and the U.S. rolls out broader testing measures.

Data from Johns Hopkins University showed the total number of coronavirus cases as 101,707 and the total number of deaths in the U.S. as 1,544.

We had better hope that the measures that have already been implemented will start to slow down this rate of growth, because otherwise every healthcare system in America will soon be completely overwhelmed.

Of course this has already happened in New York, and now other hotspots across the country are starting to become major problems.

For example, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards is openly admitting that his state is on pace to become “the next New York”…

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has warned that the state ‘doesn’t have long’ to bring the coronavirus pandemic under control, as he admitted the state is on track to become ‘the next New York’.

Speaking at a press conference Friday, Edwards announced that the number of cases in Louisiana had surged in the last 24 hours, rising to 2,746 as of noon – a spike of 441 in a single day.

Sadly, it looks like we will soon be seeing similar numbers virtually everywhere.

The very first coronavirus case in the U.S. was confirmed by the CDC on January 20th.  Just a little over two months later, we are in the middle of the biggest economic shutdown in U.S. history and according to one recent survey 11 percent of all Americans personally know someone that has caught the virus.

At first, a lot of Americans were mocking this pandemic, but now people are starting to understand that once you catch this virus you can go from being “perfectly healthy” to dead in just a matter of days…

A “perfectly healthy” father of six from Texas died Thursday from the coronavirus — two days after he received his positive diagnosis, a report said.

Adolph Mendez, known as TJ, was 44-years-old.

Please pray for that family, and hopefully that community will rally and provide what they need now that their father is gone.

But if hundreds of thousands of fathers start dying, who will provide for all of those mourning families?

And millions of Americans all across the country are already trying to figure out how they will provide for themselves now that they have lost their jobs.

On Thursday, we learned that more than 3.2 million workers filed new claims for unemployment benefits last week, and unfortunately next week is going to be really bad as well.  The following comes from Wolf Richter…

And it’s going to get worse. The five largest counties of the San Francisco Bay Area were the first major region in the US to go into lockdown on March 17. The State of California followed on March 20, toward the end of the unemployment-claims reporting week (through March 21), and many other states followed within days – and many of those claims were filed after this reporting week had ended.

In all of U.S. history, we have never seen anything like this.

Many experts are projecting that we will shoot past the peak unemployment rate during the last recession very rapidly, and I agree with that assessment.

In the months ahead, we are going to see things that most Americans never imagined were possible.  If you can believe it, one new survey has found that 23 percent of U.S. adults say that they are no longer working as a result of this economic downturn…

Twenty-three percent said they have already lost their jobs because of the coronavirus, or that their employer was forced to close and “I no longer go to work, but I am still employed by them.”

Many economists expect the U.S. unemployment rate will surpass the 10% level that the country experienced more than a decade ago during the Great Recession. St. Louis Fed President James Bullard said it may rise as high as 30%.

Of course many Americans are already losing patience and are quite eager to get back to work.

If the “shelter-in-place” orders stretch on for months, it is probably inevitable that we will see civil unrest and rioting like we are witnessing in China right now.

Unfortunately, it appears that vast sections of the country will remain shut down for the foreseeable future.  On Friday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio openly acknowledged that his city will almost certainly be closed down “through May”…

New Yorkers should be prepared for the city to remain in “pause” due to coronavirus through May even as President Trump gives Americans “false hope” the country will reopen by Easter next month, Mayor de Blasio said Friday.

“We have to be ready for that and I think it’s going to spread in the country,” de Blasio said when asked if the city would be closed through May on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “This idea of Easter is, unfortunately, a false hope. It would be better for the president to be blunt with people that we’ve got a really tough battle ahead.”

I would never suggest that the decisions that our leaders are facing are going to be easy.

On the one hand, if extreme measures are not taken it is likely that millions could die.

On the other hand, shutting everything down is going to take us directly into complete economic collapse and the next Great Depression.

And actually even if they do everything right we might end up with both results anyway.

At a time like this, we need more prayer than ever, but right now churches all over America are being shut down.  In fact,Virginia Governor Ralph Northam just made it a crime “for more than 10 people to gather in a church”…

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam issued an executive order on Monday that is aimed at stopping the new coronavirus — and, in the process, makes it a criminal offense to hold a church service attended by more than 10 people.

Yes, his order makes it a crime for more than 10 people to gather in a church.

But meanwhile, the abortion clinics in Virginia just keep humming along.

I think that says a lot about where we are as a society today.

Nobody should really be surprised that the time of “the perfect storm” has arrived.  We have been slowly but surely committing national suicide for decades, and now the consequences of our very foolish decisions are rapidly catching up with us.

In the short-term, let us pray that this pandemic will start to subside as quickly as possible and that some sense of normalcy can soon be restored.

But if we just go back to the way that we were doing things, it really won’t matter, because the path that we were on doesn’t lead anywhere good.

About the Author: I am a voice crying out for change in a society that generally seems content to stay asleep. My name is Michael Snyder and I am the publisher of The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe. I have written four books that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The End, Get Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters. (#CommissionsEarned) By purchasing those books you help to support my work. I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but due to government regulations I need those that republish my articles to include this “About the Author” section with each article. In order to comply with those government regulations, I need to tell you that the controversial opinions in this article are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the websites where my work is republished. The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions. Those responding to this article by making comments are solely responsible for their viewpoints, and those viewpoints do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of Michael Snyder or the operators of the websites where my work is republished. I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.  During these very challenging times, people will need hope more than ever before, and it is our goal to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with all many people as we possibly can.

The post The Pace At Which The Coronavirus Is Changing Life In America Is Absolutely Breathtaking appeared first on The Economic Collapse.

This article was originally published by Aaron Kesel at Activist Post. 

The coronavirus outbreak is proving to be the Trojan horse that justifies increased digital surveillance via our smartphones.

All over the world, starting with China – the suspected origin of the COVID-19 outbreak – governments are increasing surveillance of citizens using their smartphones. The trend is taking off like wildfire; in China citizens now require a smartphone application’s permission to travel around the country and internationally.

Edward Snowden’s Warning: Surveillance Measures Will Outlast The Pandemic

The application is AliPay by Ant Financial, the finance affiliate controlled by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. co-founder Jack Ma, and Tencent Holdings Ltd.’s WeChat. Citizens now require a green health code to travel, Yahoo News reported.

China isn’t the only country looking towards smartphones to monitor their citizens; Israel and Poland have also implemented their own spying to monitor those suspected or confirmed to be infected with the COVID-19 virus. Israel has gone the more extreme route and has now given itself the authority to surveil any citizen without a court warrant. Poland, on the other hand, is requiring those diagnosed with COVID-19 ordered to self-isolate to send authorities a selfie using an app. Which, if Poles don’t respond back in 20 minutes with a smiling face, they risk a visit from the police, Dailymail reported.

Singapore has asked citizens to download an app that uses Bluetooth to track whether they’ve been near anyone diagnosed with the virus; and Taiwan, although not using a smartphone, has introduced “electronic fences” which alert police if suspected patients leave their homes.

Meanwhile, here in the U.S. as reported by the Washington Post, smartphones are being used by a variety of companies to “anonymously” collect user data and track if social distancing orders are being adhered to. Beyond that, the mobile phone industry is discussing how to monitor the spread of COVID-19. If that’s not enough, as this author reported for The Mind Unleashed, the government wants to work with big social tech giants like Google, Facebook, and others, to track the spread of COVID-19.

A new live index shows the increase of the police state by Top10VPN, a Digital Rights group. Top10VPN lists a total of 15 countries which have already started measures to track the phones of coronavirus patients, ranging from anonymized aggregated data to monitor the movement of people more generally, to the tracking of individual suspected patients and their contacts, known as “contact tracing.”

That’s not the only live index, a company called Unacast that collects and analyzes phone GPS location data also launched one. Except this is a “Social Distancing Scoreboard” that grades, county by county, monitoring who is following social distancing rules.

As Activist Post previously wrote while discussing the increase of a police surveillance state, these measures being put into place now will likely remain long after the pandemic has stopped and the virus has run its course. That’s the everlasting effect that COVID-19 will have on our society.  The coronavirus is now classified as a pandemic by the World Health Organization, and it may very well be a legitimate health concern for all of us around the world. But it’s the government’s response that should worry us all more in the long run.

At the time of this report, the COVID-19 virus has infected 458,927, killed 20,807, while 113,687 have recovered according to the Johns Hopkins map.

HOW TO PREPARE YOUR HOME (QUARANTINE) FOR A PANDEMIC

Prepping For Two Week Quarantine: Emergency Food Supply

 

With the coronavirus (COVID-19) spreading to every state, I’d like to offer some encouragement and recommendations to help you stay safe, sane, resilient, and informed.

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It goes without saying that few if any of us have ever faced a pandemic. I can assure you that I stand alongside a vast number of incredibly hard working, dedicated healthcare professionals and volunteers who are all doing our absolute best with what we know about this virus, and the resources we have. I think you are going to see many examples of ingenuity and creative problem-solving as we adapt to manage this outbreak. However, our success is largely going to be dependent on how we as communities respond to control the spread, and I feel that The New Pioneer magazine readers are particularly well prepared in our moment of need. We can do this!

In brief, COVID-19 is special because it is a strain of coronavirus we’ve never seen before, so we are learning every day. The CDC has the most up-to-date information on the virus, including guidelines and recommendations on who should be tested and when, and whether or not you should go to the hospital. I strongly recommend that you visit their website to stay the most accurately informed.

So what gives me confidence in your readiness?

You are a bunch of creative, tough, innovative and skilled folks that span our country. You are masters at growing, preserving and storing food, which allows our grocery stores to provide for those who can’t. And you can repurpose things lying around into useful projects like nobody’s business. We don’t know yet how our supply-chain will be affected, but I know you will be finding creative ways to build, fix and invent products and tools that will be helpful if supplies become hard to find. Start thinking and anticipating now! We will need all of your ideas.

How can we stay sane and healthy?

Let’s continue to be a people who spend life not on the couch but outside in the sun, elbow deep in the dirt, chasing naughty goats, and wrestling with puppies in the grass. Pour yourselves into your projects. Learn something new. Try a new homesteading project, or take up a new hobby. Pick up that dusty banjo. Exercise and eat healthy. Read for fun. Engage in and expand your personal spiritual or religious practices. Try yoga and mindfulness exercises, they are more than just woo-woo activities, they have many research-proven health benefits for both body and mind. Sleep!

All of these things will help you be as healthy as possible, so if you do become infected, you are best ready to recover. Limit your intake of information and updates on COVID-19 to reputable sources, and to a limited amount of time, like an hour or less a day so that you can be up-to-date but avoid information overload and fatigue.

How can we keep our family and community healthy?

Please take the safe social distancing recommendations seriously, avoid unnecessary trips and group gatherings. This absolutely grates against some of our deepest core values. We may not be able to enjoy neighborhood barbecues, birthday parties, church, and even family gatherings. None of us like being told what to do, and the desire to buck the guidelines can be strong. I don’t want to limit my kids’ access to their grandparents either, but if this outbreak spreads as we think it will, the best thing we can do is to protect our families and friends from getting the virus.

Many of us may have to try new technological tools like video phone calls with our friends and relatives, in lieu of in-person gatherings. Call and send photos, videos and texts! Many churches and other houses of worship are doing virtual services, and plenty of museum tours and classes are being offered for free. I have a lot of questions about how I’m going to manage my kids being at home for the foreseeable future too, but may this be a fruitful season of deep connection with them, full of game nights, pillow fights, collecting bugs, planting seeds, reading stories, playing instruments, family prayers and watching the stars. They will miss their friends, but that doesn’t mean this time will be wasted. 

How can we do more?

We’ve all seen the hysteria and the hoarding. Let’s do the opposite. Let’s be a people who take the warnings seriously, but become known by our generosity in this time of need. Do you have extra canned beans? Garden crops? Meat in your freezer? Diapers or baby food? Consider sharing or donating. Deliver cough medicine to someone who falls ill, or grocery shop for elderly neighbors. Grab the guitar and give a front-yard concert at your local nursing home. Have your kids write letters to folks who can’t receive visitors. Support local businesses and restaurants limited to take-out. Is there someone out of work you could employ for a side job? There are Facebook groups and neighborhood apps such as NextDoor that provide ways for people to post needs that are being met within minutes by others.

We can continue to be a close-knit community without spreading the virus. So, wear gloves if you are shopping for someone or delivering supplies. Wipe down surfaces that are touched, and resist the normal hugs and handshakes. Can you do even more? Consider applying for emergency foster parent certification to help handle a potential influx of needy kids. Or take in animals people can’t afford to care for anymore.

Ultimately, in many ways our lives will be different this year, but the truth is, we can do hard things. Maybe the best way to put it is to “isolate in community.” Let’s be there for each other in safe, tangible ways. And may all the unique skills, work ethic, heart and ingenuity that characterizes those who consider themselves “New Pioneers” lead our communities and country through this challenging season. Saddle up, and let’s ride!

Thinking sheltering in place at home is tough? Try it on a cruise ship. Some of the first response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak centered around the world’s waters. Ships ordered into quarantine off the coasts of seaports were some of the first global measures taken in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. It has obviously since grown into a global pandemic. The measures centered around cargo ships with dozens of crew members and cruise ships with thousands of passengers. Restricted to offshore waters or anchorages, they both had to wait out the virus. Authorities either isolated those infected to their cabins or evacuated the critically ill to higher levels of medical care. The most important aspect was preventing the spread to others aboard.

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Cargo and Cruise Ship Coronavirus Quarantine

Foreign ships arriving at U.S. ports actually begin their entry 96 hours before appearing on the horizon; there, they must provide an advanced notice to the U.S. Coast Guard declaring their intentions, a roster of crew and passengers, and a manifest of any cargo. Coast Guard intelligence officers use this lead time to screen the vessel for any security threats that might warrant an at sea boarding. When necessary, they take action and bar the vessel and her crew from entry into the port.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) further requires arriving ships to immediately report any death or illness. They use that information to evaluate those aboard for any signs, symptoms, or travel history consistent with a communicable disease. The CDC maintains 20 quarantine stations nationwide; 15 of those are at major seaports where they have designated anchorages to hold vessels offshore. When notified of a crew member or passenger with a suspected communicable illness, the CDC may order the ship into quarantine. There, it’s required to remain at sea with its movements restricted. Authorities then wait to see if anyone else aboard becomes sick.

The Process

Throughout the quarantine the CDC works to definitively confirm the presence of the illness. It also provides any needed medical treatment and support to sustain life. Officers of the Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection are responsible for enforcement of the quarantine. In the event a quarantine order, both agencies may be called upon to enforce a security zone around a suspect ship held at sea, or to guard the pier it is moored at, to prevent the departure of all aboard until the order is lifted. Those found in violation of the order—whether passengers and crew attempting to depart the ship or outside parties attempting to get onboard—are subject to federal civil and criminal penalties ranging from fines to arrest.

Because it is a respiratory illness, the confined nature of a ship makes the spread of a COVID-19 worse. There, people come into frequent close contact with one another. They also come in contact with contaminated surfaces due to the limited amount of space on deck. Visits to multiple ports of call during a voyage only expand the risk the virus will spread. A single sailing with a confirmed case of the virus exposes the thousands of passengers aboard. They, in turn, may expose the populations of those locations where they go ashore.

No Sail Order

Concerns over the spread of the virus in these environments is so great that in late March the CDC issued a “No Sail Order” to all cruise ships with a capacity of 250 people or more. It bars them from commencing or continuing to operate without approval of both the Coast Guard and the CDC.

The actions of the CDC were prudent, as only days prior officials in California reported the death of a passenger with a confirmed case of COVID-19 who had been aboard the cruise ship Grand Princess. The CDC soon associated a total of 22 cases with the ship. Within days, the number onboard with symptoms exceeded 70. With more than 3,500 passengers total, the CDC initially directed the ship to remain at sea and loiter in a position more than 20 miles from the California coastline. There, the CDC delivered tests for the virus via helicopter.

The ship then moored in Oakland, Calif., where the CDC removed more than half the passengers and transported them to military bases for a 14-day quarantine ashore. Those passengers who remained on board then sailed to a remote pier in Los Angeles. They spent the remainder of the quarantine period there. It’s also where the CDC decontaminates the ship.

As COVID-19 continues to spread globally, action by the CDC and the Coast Guard to restrict the movement of ships will continue. To reduce the spread, the CDC recommends ship crews and passengers postpone travel plans when possible. If already aboard, use respiratory, cough, and hand hygiene. If anyone develops a fever, begins to feel feverish, or develops other signs or symptoms of sickness, they should self-isolate and inform the ship’s medical officer.

The information that I am about to share with you is quite disturbing, and it has some very alarming implications.  One of the great mysteries of this coronavirus pandemic has been the widely varying death rates that we have been witnessing all over the world.  For example, South Korea has had 8,981 confirmed cases so far.  Of those cases that have been resolved one way or the other, 111 victims have died and 3,166 victims have recovered.  So that would seem to indicate a very low death rate in that nation.  But in Italy, things are very different.  Up to this point, there have been 59,138 confirmed cases.  Of the cases that have been resolved, 5,476 victims have died and 7,024 have recovered.  Needless to say, that would seem to indicate a very, very high death rate in Italy.

Nobody really knows why this is happening.  Scientists in China claim that there is more than one strain of the coronavirus and that one is more deadly than the other.  So it has been theorized that the strain hitting Italy and other European countries is different than the strain that is affecting South Korea.

Alternatively, there are some that believe that certain pain killers used in the western world greatly accelerate the multiplication of the virus, and this is something that I wrote about a few days ago.

But the truth is that we really don’t know for sure why death rates in different countries are so vastly different.

With that being said, let me share with you the latest numbers from the United States.

At this moment, there are 34,717 confirmed cases, but the vast majority of them will not be resolved for some time.

Of those cases that have reached a final resolution, 452 have died, and only 178 have recovered.

Over time, I expect the number that have recovered to eventually greatly surpass the number that have died, and there are a couple of reasons why I believe this.

For one, it can take many weeks to recover, but those that die can do so relatively quickly.

Secondly, expanded testing will ultimately reveal a lot more mild cases, and most of those mild cases will eventually recover.

Having said that, the numbers that the U.S. is reporting so far are nothing short of horrifying.

If most of the country eventually catches this virus, it looks like the death toll could be in the millions.  And at this point, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is warning that 80 percent of the population of his state will eventually become infected…

NEW York Governor Andrew Cuomo has warned that 80% of New York state’s population could become infected with the coronavirus and said the crisis could last as long as nine months.

Cuomo’s stark assessment came hours after Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin warned that the lockdown, currently impacting 80 million people across the country, could last 12 weeks.

Over the past few days, victims in New York City have been dying at a rate of more than one person an hour, and we are being told that New York hospitals are “like a war zone” right now.

Sadly, this is just the beginning.

Over on the west coast, things have gotten so bad in L.A. County that they have mostly given up on testing people…

Los Angeles County health officials advised doctors to give up on testing patients in the hope of containing the coronavirus outbreak, instructing them to test patients only if a positive result could change how they would be treated.

The guidance, sent by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to doctors on Thursday, was prompted by a crush of patients and shortage of tests, and could make it difficult to ever know precisely how many people in L.A. County contracted the virus.

In other words, we will no longer really have any idea how bad the outbreak is in the Los Angeles area from now on.

And without identifying those that are infected and making sure they are isolated, all hope of containing the pandemic in California is completely dead.

Of course many are hoping that the current “shelter-in-place” order in California will help slow down the spread of COVID-19, but what will happen when it ends?

At this point, many Californians are already getting restless.  In fact, Governor Gavin Newsom’s wife seems quite concerned that her family will “run out of toilet paper, paper towels, and Kleenex tomorrow”…

Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the actress wife of Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, sent out a tweet on Wednesday complaining that “we run out of toilet paper, paper towels, and Kleenex tomorrow.”

Her husband on Thursday ordered that all Californians stay in their homes except for certain essential excursions—on pain of being arrested.

The truth is that most Americans are simply not equipped to handle any sort of an extended crisis, and that appears to be what we are heading for.

On Sunday, the entire country was stunned when we learned that U.S. Senator Rand Paul has tested positive.  Let us be in prayer for him and his entire family.

But pretty soon so many famous people will be testing positive that we won’t be able to keep track of them all.  The attending physician of Congress believes that up to 150 million Americans will eventually become infected, and if that happens the virus will literally be everywhere.

That doesn’t mean that you should give up on trying to avoid COVID-19.  If you doubt the deadliness of this virus, I would like for you to consider what a medical worker in Louisiana is saying…

“Reading about it in the news, I knew it was going to be bad, but we deal with the flu every year so I was thinking: Well, it’s probably not that much worse than the flu. But seeing patients with COVID-19 completely changed my perspective, and it’s a lot more frightening.”

“I have patients in their early 40s and, yeah, I was kind of shocked. I’m seeing people who look relatively healthy with a minimal health history, and they are completely wiped out, like they’ve been hit by a truck. This is knocking out what should be perfectly fit, healthy people. Patients will be on minimal support, on a little bit of oxygen, and then all of a sudden, they go into complete respiratory arrest, shut down and can’t breathe at all.”

I have heard from so many people out there that believe that this coronavirus is about the same as the flu.

What a huge mistake.

Coronavirus victims have told us stories of being curled up in a fetal position crying for mercy as “blinding pain” roars through their bodies.  As their lungs fill up with fluid, many report feeling like they can barely breathe for days on end.

The unlucky ones end up dead, but even many of the “lucky ones” end up with permanent lung damage.

Please do whatever you possibly can to boost your immune system now, because it looks like a large percentage of the population will be grappling with this virus at some point.

When New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli was asked if she was worried about catching the virus, she warned that everyone will be infected eventually…

“Are you worried,” I ask, “that you’ll get the coronavirus eventually?”

She smiles.

“I’m definitely going to get it. We all are,” Persichilli says matter-of-factly. “I’m just waiting.”

I don’t believe that is true, and I believe that there are many Americans that will never catch the virus.

But without a doubt it is sweeping across America at a speed that is absolutely breathtaking, and the death toll is ahead of even the most pessimistic projections that were originally issued.

A great plague has hit America, and we are still only in the very early chapters.

This is the moment in our history when everything starts changing, and the days ahead are going to be exceedingly challenging.

About the Author: I am a voice crying out for change in a society that generally seems content to stay asleep. My name is Michael Snyder and I am the publisher of The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe. I have written four books that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The End, Get Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters. (#CommissionsEarned) By purchasing those books you help to support my work. I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but due to government regulations I need those that republish my articles to include this “About the Author” section with each article. In order to comply with those government regulations, I need to tell you that the controversial opinions in this article are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the websites where my work is republished. The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions. Those responding to this article by making comments are solely responsible for their viewpoints, and those viewpoints do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of Michael Snyder or the operators of the websites where my work is republished. I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.  During these very challenging times, people will need hope more than ever before, and it is our goal to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with all many people as we possibly can.

This article was contributed by Tom Beck of Portfolio Wealth Global. 

At this point, society is being REARRANGED. Forget anything you know about our political, judicial, and financial systems, and the values we cherish.

Basically, discard anything you thought America stood for. America is fighting for survival. It’s a DO-OR-DIE moment and the government and the central bank are TAKING OVER everything.

I’ve already covered the fact that the Federal Reserve has lowered rates to zero. I’ve shown you the MARGIN CALL that the U.S. Dollar has been in, but you’ll need to sit down for what’s coming next.

We live in a new world.

In this new system, the Federal Reserve criminals are ABOUT TO begin buying corporate debt. The authorities are OUTLAWING defaults and OUTLAWING the failure of the business world so that TAXPAYERS will be liable for EVERYTHING.

Through the guise of private enterprise and keeping markets open, the Federal Reserve will purchase, by the time this is done, TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS in debt.

As I see it, the Federal Reserve will become the largest owner of toxic debt in history.

This is a form of communism and the panic that’s out there will allow these draconian measures to be implemented.

I’m seriously considering the ramifications of this. America is turning into Japan.

This is the FIRST time you’re going to be hearing about this: MY ESTIMATE is that markets are now contemplating the risk of America going under, of the government falling apart.

Bond yields are actually going UP.

Silver Eagles are selling for $22/ounce, while the spot price is around $12/ounce. Our markets are broken.

That’s not all; not by a LONG SHOT!

We are also hearing that the U.S. government, using TAXPAYERS’ money (whatever that means at this point), is considering BUYING STOCKS!

We are stretching the limits of what America even means. This is the worst transformation of our core ideas I’ve ever seen.

These are measures that put in jeopardy the mere meaning of fair competition: PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY and BEING AN INDIVIDUAL.

All laws are written, as we go along.

We are creating a new society, a new global economy, and a new paradigm.

FORGET about the past. You have woken up to a new reality. The financial losses mean absolutely NOTHING, compared with the loss of LIBERTY.

The government will own real estate, stocks and bonds and will exercise TOO MUCH control over the economy.

This should CONCERN you.

The government has asked FEMA to get involved and they’ve AGREED to send paychecks to all Americans.

Every prediction that I’ve made, which five years ago was CONSIDERED TABOO, is coming true.

I discussed the day that the FED would cut back to zero. I highlighted that we’ll first see a HUGE RALLY in the dollar (because everyone is selling), and I forecasted that we will see STOCKS PURCHASED by federal agencies.

1984 is here!

We are days away from seeing the GLOBAL BANKING SYSTEM freeze; a 2008 repeat.

This will require a miracle to avoid and, worst of all, the MEDIA is the main virus here – spreading PANIC that is SO overblown that I believe people will never trust it again.

TRILLIONS have been lost. The bottom line is that we’ve lost our way.

This is precisely why I have a 2^nd passport, physical metals, a cash duffle bag, whole life insurance and friends in several countries.

You need to know who to trust for accurate facts, for sound reporting, and for hard evidence.

If you’ve been in a grocery or warehouse store recently, certain shelves are noticeably empty.

People rushed to load up on fresh foods like dairy products, and foods with long shelf lives like canned foods. Bread and pasta are hard to come by, as well as snacks, bottled water, peanut butter, and kid favorites like chicken nuggets.

As the days go by and shelves are not restocked at a pace that meets demand, what should you be stocking up on? If conditions persist or worsen, there are foods to stockpile that have long shelf lives, provide basic nutrition, and will provide flavor to please your palette. After all, who wants to be quarantined with nothing worth eating?

If you are having trouble finding items in your local stores, or are social distancing, try Amazon and Walmart.com as you build your pantry.

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RELATED: How to Make Commercial Grade Hand Sanitizer

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The Must-Haves

1. Water

Stock up on water or secure a water supply if you haven’t already. Many recipes require some amount of water, especially when you’re consuming dehydrated foods.

So in addition to your 1 gallon per person per day, you’ll need additional water on hand for cooking. At this time, you do NOT need to be purchasing bottled water!

Fill your own containers with filtered water. Try to use glass or stainless steel containers if possible.

2. Dried Beans and Rice

Beans and rice on its own is a meal that will fill you up and provide a healthy source of protein. Canned beans will also work, but have a shorter shelf life.

When choosing rice, white rice has the shortest cooking time, but any rice that is readily available will work.

3. Canned and Dried Meats

Jump on the jerky! Unless you are vegan or vegetarian, you will want to stock up on meats for protein. These will help to fill you up and sustain you long-term.

4. Canned Liquids

Don’t just focus on solid foods; canned liquids are great tools.

Chicken and beef stock can be used as alternatives to water in cooking; juices provide hydration and vitamins so you can preserve your water supply; evaporated and condensed milk provide calcium.

5. Flax & Flour

Eggs are a very popular item right now due to their long life in refrigeration, and they’re becoming scarce in stores. But vegans know that you can easily make flax eggs that replace eggs in recipes.

One Flax Egg:

• 1 tbsp. Flax meal
• 2 ½ tbsp. Water

Stock up on flour and yeast at this time too. It will come in handy later for baking, which provides comforting and filling foods. Don’t expect stores to be re-stocked anytime soon; plan to make your own breads in the near future.

To make a super simple homemade bread all you need on-hand is:

• 1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
• 2-1/4 cups warm water (110° to 115°)
• 3 tablespoons sugar plus 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 6-1/4 to 6-3/4 cups bread flour

6. Canned and Freeze-Dried Fruits & Vegetables, including Soup

Your diet would not be complete without fruits and vegetables, but fresh produce won’t last long.

Freeze-dried options have an even longer shelf life than canned, so keep this in mind when shopping.

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RELATED: How to Make Commercial Grade Hand Sanitizer

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Secondary Choices

So you’ve gathered the basics, but you’re missing some of your favorites.

Secondary options are items that bring enjoyment to your diet, while still providing value: like coffee and tea helping with alertness, and raw honey sweetening your food while building your immunities.

In this category, you should consider items like:

• Coffee & Tea
• Raw Honey or Glass-Bottled Real Maple Syrup
• Cereals
• Pasta
• Protein Bars
• Nut butters: Powdered or Traditional
• Oils for cooking. Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Peanut Oil have the longest shelf lives
• Oats and Oatmeal
• Cornmeal
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Salt & Pepper
• Spices

Third Tier

Now that you’ve stocked your pantry with all of the most important goods to get by, show yourself a little grace. Pick up items that bring you joy, like chocolate and condiments.

As you adjust to a Prepper’s diet, the early days of ketchup, soy sauce, and jellies will help a lot.

We realize that prepping after emergency conditions have already been declared is a tall order; Preppers know that the time to prepare is before desperate times, not during. But if you get creative and realize you have some work ahead of you, you can still put together an effective pantry. Good luck!

Up Next: 

• Prepping for Beginners: Here’s Where To Start
• Top 8 Tips for Building Your Emergency Stockpile
• Welcome to Prepping: Your Best Defense Against Coronavirus

Written by Pat Henry on The Prepper Journal.

About 8 weeks ago, we were hearing of a respiratory virus going around China. A short time later, the Chinese government essentially locked down the country in order to help halt the spread of the Coronavirus. If you want to see the latest maps and information on the COVID-19 outbreak, The Johns Hopkins University and Worldometer have near real time information on cases, locations and outcomes.

This isn’t the flu

As a new virus, you have people calling it the next great calamity (which it might be) or “just the flu” (which it definitely is not). While the flu kills tens of thousands annually, it’s also been around a lot longer. COVID-19 is new. So while of the 129,842 people who have/had it, “only” 4,751 have died. That’s 3.6% mortality, versus the 0.1% for the flu. To put into perspective, if we use the flu mortality rate, that is only 130 people dead. A huge difference.

If we assume 40,000 people die from the flu, and the mortality rate is 0.1%, then the number of people with the flu was about 40 million (40,000/0.001). If we take that 40 million and apply the 3.6% mortality rate so far, that is 1,440,000 people dead (40million * .036). Coronavirus lives for days on hard surfaces, has a very long incubation time and spreads faster than the flu.

This isn’t just the flu.

Cancel culture

In addition to China, Italy has locked down the country, even closing bars, restaurants and most shops as their death toll rises. Norway is following suit, pretty much shutting down the country until this passes. 

And now we find ourselves (U.S.) right in the middle of the chaos. The NBA has suspended the remainder of the season after a player tested positive. Numerous conferences in the U.S., such as SXSW, Facebook F8, and Google Cloud Next ‘20 have been canceled, postponed or switched to online events. Even Coachella has been postponed. Worldwide, several large events, such as the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, have also felt the pain.

I won’t even get into the fights over toilet paper and hand sanitizer.

We’re in it for the long term

Well, it looks like the Coronavirus (aka COVID-19) is here for the long-haul. As a prepper, it’s ironic to see people scrambling to do the things we’ve done for years. And while it’s humorous to poke fun at people making runs on toilet paper and hand sanitizer, it underscores the serious lack of preparation in this country.

I’m from the tail-end of the baby boom generation, and can still remember visiting my maternal grandmother and watching her and my great-grandmother (when she was alive) canning fruits and vegetables. As dairy and hog farmers, they had plenty of meat and dairy. Grandpa was a real handyman, as I’m told, and used whatever he could find to fix things around the farm. Having a farm during the Great Depression teaches you a lot…necessity being the mother of invention, and all that.

Given most people’s financial and living situations…heavy mortgages, rampant consumerism…preparation is often the last thing on people’s minds as they try to live their lives. I read in an article recently about a couple, no kids, who couldn’t scrape together $1,000 cash for part of a downpayment on a home they wanted. Their combined income was well into the six-figures. What do you think the chances are they have 2 months or more food and necessities available?

Preppers are ahead of the curve

So when I read or see stories of people wiping out the toilet paper section, it’s clear they’ve not given any thought to preparation. If the U.S. government imposed Italian-style movement restrictions, a dubious endeavor to begin with, these people would be well set to wipe their butts, but not a lot else. It appears the aftermaths of numerous hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and other natural disasters has taught us nothing, collectively.

I’m hoping that most of our readers have been prepping for some time. But if you’re new to it, here are some resources to get started:

Food:

Pasta and rice don’t take up much space. As long as you’ve water and a way to heat it, you’re good. Even if the Coronavirus causes actual logistical shutdowns, government services such as water, police, fire, power, etc., *should* still operate, albeit at reduced personnel.

Other items you might consider stocking up on are canned and boxed goods, such as vegetables, cereals, trail mixes, etc. You need to get through the next 2-6 months, so you shouldn’t have to worry about it going bad. One caveat: Make sure it’s food you will actually eat. When this blows over, having 5 cases of canned brussel sprouts will do you no good if you hate brussel sprouts.

Health:

Get first aid training. This should be a no-brainer, but many people put it off. Courses in CPR and Stop The Bleed can literally be life savers.

If you can, extend your supply of multivitamins and any prescription meds you may require. If you can, switch your RX medication to 90-day supplies instead of 30-day. If you get sick and can’t leave, or the government imposes internal travel restrictions, running out of medication can be deadly.

Survival

If you live in a major town as I do, then having an everyday carry bag (EDC) can literally be a lifesaver. Also consider a Get Home Bag in case things devolve and you have to abandon your vehicle to make it home. Hopefully it’ll never come to that..but isn’t that why we prep?

The Prepper Journal Archive

Readers of TPJ, continue on with what you’re doing…you’re ahead of the wave. If this situation gets worse, we’ll be OK for a while. 

If you’re looking for a one-stop ‘shop’ of prepper articles, the Prepper Journal Offline Archive maybe just what you’re looking for. It contains all our articles plus 28 military manuals in PDF format. All for only $12.99 (plus any applicable tax).

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