Anticipating A Quarantine? Not Everyone Is Able To Stock Up The Pantry

A sign outside a store in Amherst, Massachusetts, says it’s sold out of certain cleaning products. (Jill Kaufman/NEPR)

How do you get ready for something when you don’t exactly know what it is? That’s been the recent scenario in many communities, as people learn more about the new coronavirus and try to prepare for a potential quarantine at home.

In the last few weeks in western Massachusetts, like elsewhere, shoppers have packed the groceries and big box stores, stocking up on canned goods, frozen entrees, toilet paper and hand sanitizer — if you can find any.

Among the shopping crowd were Lily Ruderman and Joshua Garcia. They live in Holyoke, Massachusetts.

“I’m doing it to appease my mother,” Ruderman said, laughing, “because she’s stocking up! And I hope she doesn’t mind me saying that!”

But she and Garcia also want to have everything they need.

“We follow the [coronavirus] stats pretty well,” Garcia said. “The information is worrisome, but it’s not scaring us too badly,” adding that they’re young and in generally good health.

In their shopping basket: rice, other nonperishables and things for the freezer.

Read the rest of this story at NEPM’s website.