Shawn Collins' Blog

Affiliate marketing and other stuff from Shawn Collins, co-founder of Affiliate Summit.

Are You Prepared if There is Another COVID-19 Shutdown?

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The COVID-19 cases are increasing like crazy again and it’s probably inevitable that we will face a second round of lockdowns nationally, or at least in some states.

covid-19 virus lockdown - sad and worried man in medical mask thinking and feeling scared in quarantine following stay at home instructions to contain virus pandemic

The memories are all still fresh of toilet paper, meats, Lysol, masks, and other items disappearing from shelves the last time around.

It’s a good idea to be ready this time in case you’re stuck at home for an extended period of time on a lockdown.

Start now for those essentials that may be out of reach in the very near future. Here is a cheat sheet of things to consider:

Medicine
I am not talking about medicine to treat COVID-19 symptoms but in general. Think about what you need for the seasonal flu, stomach bugs, head colds, migraines, pink eye, and other maladies. Get the medicines you usually have to run to the store for, so you won’t have to go to a lockdown.

Meals and Ingredients
If you are stuck at home the last thing you want to do is consume unhealthy frozen or packaged foods. You want to build up your immunity, not compromise it. You’re better off having ingredients to meal prep and store in your freezer. If you are tight on freezer space, you can get a chest freezer now before they disappear again, too.

Stock Your Pantry
In addition to meal prepping, you should also build up a stock of non-perishable foods you can stock in your pantry. Of course, not all canned goods are healthy, so you need to focus on shelf-stable foods that are nutritious and versatile. Canned meats like tuna or salmon are flexible and can be used in a variety of ways.

Baking Ingredients
People made a run for flour and other baking ingredients the last time around. If you like to bake, get those staples now. Consider whole wheat flour over regular flour to have the benefit of protein and extra fiber.

Laundry and Dish Detergent
I don’t know about your stores, but mine were light on all sorts of detergents the last time. I ran out of laundry detergent and had to search a half dozen stores or more. Get it now and be clean later.

A Bunch of Other Stuff
While you are stuck at home there is a chance you could lose power – be ready. Have batteries on hand, as well as a flashlight, candles, and cell phone chargers, Also, grab an emergency radio that has features such as light and cell phone charger built-in.

Butt Wait… There’s More
Toilet paper is flying off the shelves again. It’s good to have back-ups on hand, but also consider getting a bidet, so you are less reliant on toilet paper.

Are you prepared for another shutdown? Don’t be stressed, be ready.

Have You Flown Since the Pandemic Days Started?

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I am probably somewhat of a unicorn these days because I have flown every month of 2020. I will finish up the year with 40 flights or so.

Shawn at the airport

When I first flew after things were locked down I was pretty nervous – in addition to the mask, I was wearing a face shield and gloves with long sleeves and long pants. I wiped down every surface anywhere close to me with Clorox wipes.

The airports were ghost towns with virtually nothing open, sections of terminals closed off, and few flights. It was tough getting an Uber, too, since so few people were requesting them that many stopped working airports.

After landing, I washed the clothes I flew in right away and showered.

Things have gotten more back to normal over time, but we’re still a long way to go.

One nice thing about the lesser crowds on the flights is that I get free upgrades to first more often, and many airlines are carrying over status through 2021.

A couple of times I’ve gotten the fancy pod seats on United that lay flat. I am in no rush for the flights to end with those seats.

I primarily fly United and most of their lounges aren’t open still, including Austin (grrrrr!).

There is a big one in Newark that is open, but the food selection has changed a lot – now it’s all packaged and pretty uninspired, unless you like Uncrustables.

The lounge bars are cleared of the tables and chairs and there are plastic guards between the travelers and bartenders.

The planes board rear to front, rather than by groups, and that’s probably a more logical method anyway. As each person boards, they receive a sanitized wipe to clean their area and people have been compliant on my flights with keeping their masks on.

I feel safe flying with all of the precautions and it makes it that much easier to avoid crowds having CLEAR and TSA Pre.