I watched the movie Contagion this weekend. For some reason I had the actual physical copy but what stood out to me was the phrase "nothing spreads like fear". That's exactly where we are, spreading information based on fear. Even people we consider the most reliable sources may have side stepped fact checking because let's be honest, we have no clue what's next!
The majority of us have never seen a outbreak of this magnitude outside of Hollywood. The very idea of our normal being interrupted has our anxiety at an all time high. It's easy to see a rumor and share it because we just want more information and maybe we feel no enough information is available. There's a daily podcast from CNN on the iHeart App I found helpful. First of all it help me understand what Coronavirus was because honestly I was under the impression it was a strain of the Flu. It is actually a relative of the Measles and the Common Cold.
Where did I get that information? Word of mouth like this. I can't tell you how many copy and paste messages I've gotten from a friend, they got from a from just like this. There's alway the whole I have the intel because I know somebody that works for blah blah. Until it's actually announced on a news broadcast or able to be backed up on WHO or CDC websites it's safer not to share this kind of messages.
The very first message I got was this one. I almost panicked but I also have family that works at The Pentagon and I was assured if this was classified information like the recording suggested the public wasn't about to get it this easy.
I would never suggest not being prepared for the possibility of a mandated quarantine. It's very possible but hopefully we don't get there. In the meantime yes, make sure you have resources. Make sure your community has resources. Practice all the necessary hygiene and social distancing already suggested. Make sure you also keep your mental health in mind. Guided Meditation is great if you don't know how to meditate. Shelah Marie is my favorite and she has one I used for fear about a week ago. Most importantly only accept and share information from real sources! I mean your cousin's-boyfriend-lilttle sister's-best friend may be a credible source at times right now people are terrified and not as rational. They could be sharing misinformation.
With any emergency situation there comes scammers. Be more aware than ever about phishing emails.