Wednesday or Thursday evening has become my grocery shopping night. I’m either on my way back from cleaning the Chicago house or spending some time with the grandkids, so why not stop on my way home and save a trip tomorrow?

So hubby and I stopped in a big superstore in Waukesha, a fairly big and bubbling city in Wisconsin.

The above picture was the scene for the check out line. It ended at the far wall of the superstore, in the last frozen food aisle. See where the arrow is pointing? That is the beginning of the check out turnstyles.

People kept falling in line behind the last one in line. And on and on. We wandered to the front of the store where there were way shorter lines and got out in a jiffy.

But everyone was buying water and disinfectant. And toilet paper.

Toilet paper.

Standing in line for over an hour just for toilet paper. Limit 2.

People, people, people. What is going on?

I understand using caution with the coronavirus. People are popping up with this infection all over the place. In the U.S., everything from March Madness basketball games to local choral concerts to music concerts to Little League Championship Baseball Tournaments have been cancelled. Universities are closing immediately until further notice. (My niece is one who is being sent home today).

Cases in the U.S: (updated on March 13 at 9:30 .a.m., WebMD)

• Washington: 457 (includes 4 evacuated passengers)
• New York: 325
• California: 198  (includes 24 people evacuated from China)
• Massachusetts: 108
• Florida: 50
• Colorado: 49
• Georgia: 42
• Illinois: 32
• Texas: 31 (includes 8 evacuated passengers)
• New Jersey: 29
• Nebraska: 24 (15 evacuated cruise ship passengers, 7 have since been released)
• Oregon: 24
• Pennsylvania: 22
• Louisiana: 19
• Tennessee: 18
• Iowa: 16
• North Carolina: 15
• Indiana: 12
• Maryland: 12
• Michigan:12
• South Carolina: 12
• Kentucky: 11
• Nevada: 11
• Washington, DC: 10
• Arizona: 9
• Minnesota: 9
• Virginia: 9
• South Dakota: 8
• Wisconsin: 8
• Arkansas: 6
• Connecticut: 6
• New Hampshire: 6
• New Mexico: 6
• Rhode Island: 5
• Ohio: 5
• Delaware: 4
• Kansas: 4
• Utah: 4
• Oklahoma: 3
• Hawaii: 2
• Vermont: 2
• Alaska: 1
• Maine: 1
• Mississippi: 1
• Missouri: 1
• Montana: 1
• North Dakota: 1
• Wyoming: 1
• Alabama: 1

Deaths in the U.S.:

So far, the CDC has estimated (based on weekly influenza surveillance data) that at least 12,000 people have died from influenza between Oct. 1, 2019 through Feb. 1, 2020, and the number of deaths may be as high as 30,000.    (Health, 2020).

I am not downplaying the seriousness of any virus. Not at all. I’m old and am at risk just like everyone else.

But PLEASE. Standing in line for an hour just in case you are kept in your house for a week or two? Stocking up on water — like your faucet won’t work?

I was amazed, appalled, astounded, astonished, alarmed, and basically just freaked out by how many people were stockpiling. Each one looked at the forever-line and just fell in behind them.

What is happening?

It’s as easy to catch the flu as it is to catch the coronavirus. And just as easy to prevent it. We’re not talking about those who are weakened by another condition, just to be taken by the flu or the virus. We are not talking about those with weak immune systems.

We are talking about John Q. Public.

Wash your hands. All the time. Sanitize the air if you must. Stay away from large crowds if you must. Even if you get the virus, the chances are ENORMOUSLY RARE that will you die from it. You probably will get hit by a car before expiring from the virus.

All I’m saying — I think many of us are saying — is just use COMMON SENSE and we will all get through this.

Now excuse me while  I sanitize my insides with a little Moscato Wine….

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