There’s so much reporting about coronavirus, but not much advice going on out there. Especially for people in countries like South Africa, who are just behind the rest of the world, and could benefit from their experience.

With schools like Herzlia and St. Cyprians closing its doors as a result of the virus, one cannot help but draw comparisons with countries slightly ‘ahead’ of us. What came next in places like London, was news of ‘panic buying’. One doesn’t want to subscribe to ‘herd mentality’, so when my wife said we should stock up on some items (particularly kids’ medicine) I thought I should seek advice from someone on the ground in the UK.

I went to the UK section of instant opinion/advice app, TIMON, to speak to Sally Emslie, an entrepreneur in London. She’s no expert on anything medical, but she is a normal, practical person living in a big metropolis. She’s also about two weeks ahead of us, in terms of the virus growth.

Here’s a transcript of the text conversation:

Hi Sally – I’m contacting you from South Africa. We’ve got close to 30 Corona cases here and schools are starting to close. I wanted to get an opinion from a woman on the street in a country with higher infections (and deaths) than us. Is the pandemic affecting you on a practical level at all? Do you think it makes sense to stockpile on items? My wife is worried about the pharmacy shelves emptying.

Hi Seth – thanks for getting in touch. This is definitely not my field of expertise, but obviously I can comment on it from the perspective of the average person in the midst of a crisis. It’s all got very real, very quickly. Two weeks ago the virus felt like a far-off concern, with very little impact on our day-to-day lives. Now, there is pretty widespread panic. Word of advice: stock up on food and medicine basics now. I know it seems like a total overreaction but you’ll be amazed how quickly things escalate. Supermarket shelves here are completely decimated… really struggling to get supplies of even the basics. And no online delivery for weeks. You’re about two weeks behind us by all accounts, so get your shopping in now to make sure you have what you need. Key, though, is not to unnecessarily panic or stockpile… we need to think with our community hat on and make sure there is enough for everybody.

Seth: Ok, so it’s not about panicking, it’s about other people panicking, and nothing being available when you do need in weeks to come?

Sally: Exactly. I think a lot of people are feeling very vulnerable, which leads to quite abnormal behaviour including buying 100s of packets of pasta, for example! There is no real way to stop people panic buying, the result of which is empty shelves. So think ahead and work out what it is you may need in the weeks ahead – medicine for you and your children is a big one. Other basics like loo roll, cans, dry goods that don’t perish. If you have a freezer think about batch cooking meals that use fresh ingredients and have them to hand.

Seth: It’s not like the country is going to run out of toilet paper.

Sally: Yes – remember that there is enough food and essentials for everybody, it’s more to do’s with the distribution of it (when people are hoarding) that is the problem.

I would also say that it’s a good idea to identify the vulnerable people around you… older people living on their own, for example, and find out what they need. Over 70s here have just been asked to go into self-isolation for 16 weeks! They are going to need so much help.

Also remember, even in places like a Italy, which are in total lockdown, the supermarkets remain open. It’s not like you won’t be able to go grocery shopping again. Be sensible, be community minded.

Great insight there.

It seems to me that there is no way of stopping others from panic buying. And it’s not necessarily to do with ‘panicking’ per se – it’s just about stocking up. The UK are now now telling people over 70 to self-isolate for FOUR MONTHS.

So whether you’re ‘self-isolating’ or suddenly forced to stay at home (read about Austria’s overnight ruling here), what do you do? You stock up for 2-4 weeks so you don’t have to hassle later. The result of which is empty shelves.

Should your kid gets sick in two weeks time and you need to get your usual meds, it stands to reason that they may well be out of stock on that particular day as a result of others’ stock piling. So what are we going to do, to avoid all of these scenarios? Correct, we’re going to stockpile medicine and essentials.

It’s a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy, but what option do we have? It’s this or empty shelves when we need it most.