Pandemic or Stay-Home Checklist

This list is for times when public health officials ask people to stay home, or when someone in your home is sick. It is planning help only, and it does not replace advice from your doctor or public health unit.

Plan ahead

The Public Health Agency of Canada suggests having extra food and medicine, some cash, a backup child care plan, and your health details handy, because stores, banks, schools and health services may be disrupted. Neither Canada’s page nor the US pages I opened set a number of days for an outbreak. I use the 14-day list as a sensible target.

Buy ahead of time, not at the moment shelves empty. FDA asked shoppers in 2020 to avoid buying more food than they need for a week or two.

If someone at home is sick

From Canada’s home-care guidance:

1. Keep shared time brief, and keep as much distance as you can.
2. Use a separate bedroom and bathroom if possible.
3. Open windows and doors regularly.
4. Clean high-touch surfaces often.
5. Have one person do the caring, ideally someone not at higher risk.
6. Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or use sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

Call 911 for severe signs such as trouble breathing, persistent chest pain, new confusion, or bluish skin or lips. Tell them the person may be infectious.

Follow your local public health instructions. They change with each outbreak and they differ between the US and Canada.