As the coronavirus spreads in this country, my wife and I have adopted a “don’t panic, but prepare” frame of mind.
在我写这篇文章的时候，这个国家大约有80人感染了这种可怕的病毒，分布在13个州, with 14 known deaths. The numbers will almost certainly be higher by the time you read this.
这引发了我和妻子生活方式的重大变化. After all, 这种病毒的死亡率似乎随着年龄的增长而稳步上升——而我们都快50岁了. So I’ve been super cautious.
最近几天我一直在家工作，因为我得了某种轻微但持续存在的疾病. It’s likely not COVID-19, but I have told my boss at the St. Paul Pioneer Press that I needed to play it safe.
Meanwhile, 我们正忙着采取措施，以确保我们一次可以自给自足数周, if it comes to that.
I am staying away from malls and other crowded places. 我不再从公共图书馆借书，因为我对这些书转手太多人感到不安. I’ve begged off all social engagements — again, because of that unidentified bug, and also because some friends are also ill. (我社交圈里的大多数人都是内向的人，他们喜欢独处，所以取消计划是一种负担 good thing.)
但我和妻子并没有取消即将到来的佛罗里达探亲之旅, even though the coronavirus has cropped up in that state. However, we are paying close attention to travel advisories. 目前，乘坐国内航班被认为是安全的，但政府表示，这种情况可能会改变. (编者注:这篇文章最初发表在Next Avenue, the author has cancelled his travel plans.)
Meanwhile, 我们正忙着采取措施，以确保我们可以在家里自给自足几个星期, if it comes to that.
Here is some of what we’ve done, organized by category:
Food
专家建议储备足够维持两周的不易腐烂的食物. With our stockpile, we can hold out for up to a month.
我们的很多食物都是货架稳定的，不需要冷藏. 这包括罐装蔬菜，袋装豆类和意大利面，盒装谷物，罐装酱汁等等. My wife has also loaded up our freezer with meat, 蔬菜和即食食品，假设冠状病毒危机不会引发停电(祈求好运).
Medicine
This is a concern. Experts advise stocking up on prescription meds, but this might not always be easy. My insurance covers a 90-day supply of my Wellbutrin antidepressant, but not every insurer has such flexible policies, and there have been calls for prescription-refill rules to be relaxed during the coronavirus outbreak.
We have a decent supply of cold and flu meds, which should be helpful for treating coronavirus symptoms if we are unlucky enough to get infected.
Cleaning
我们有大量的洗手液、洗碗皂、洗衣液、卫生纸等. We don’t have as much hand sanitizer as we’d like, and this is hard to find as I write this, but hand washing with soap is the best way to sanitize. You can make your own hand sanitizer 使用外用酒精和芦荟凝胶，尽管这些东西越来越难找到了.
Respirators
Here’s an example of what not to buy. 一种特殊的医用口罩被抢购一空，它的N95等级可以阻挡至少95%的小颗粒. 冠状病毒来袭时，我妻子买了半打3M N95口罩，10包. But when authorities told the public to not rely on such masks 由于它们被认为是无效的一般冠状病毒防护，我们退回了大部分.
Work
我很幸运能有一份在任何地方都可以用电脑完成的工作, 所以从专业角度来说，如果冠状病毒把我困在家里，我会没事的. And I have taken pains to make my home office a pleasant and comfortable place to work.
除了电脑，我最重要的设备就是站立式办公桌了. 这个装置可以让我根据身体的感觉从坐姿切换到站立姿势. Such position changes invigorate me and raise my mood.
I have tested a bunch of standing desks as a tech writer. Vari’s Electric Standing Desk and Standing Work Station 站立两用桌取代了常规的、不可调节的桌子吗. One has a motor for raising and lowering; the other has a mechanical lever to adjust the height in a jiffy. There are also desk converters available (Ergotron 有几种尺寸和价格范围)放在桌子上增加了坐立的可调节性.
Exercise
我是一个狂热的运动员，主要集中在长途自行车. 我害怕因为冠状病毒而不得不减少骑行时间，但我可能别无选择. The alternative is indoor, stationary bicycling, but this can be expensive. Fancy Peloton exercise bicycles cost thousands.
你可以把现有的自行车用起来，只花很少的钱. Get a “trainer” contraption, as I have, 这样可以将自行车后部抬高，并将后轮放在金属滚轮上进行摩擦，以模拟道路或小径的感觉. Get on, and start pedaling!
一些运动鞋的价格在1000美元或以上，但你可以花50到150美元买到一款基本款. This BikeTrainerWorld post has a good rundown of the latest options. For something fancier, look at Kinetic trainers.
Reading
虽然我不再借图书馆的书了，但还有另一种选择——电子书借阅.
而不是带着实体书走出公共图书馆的分馆, you borrow the digital equivalent using your phone, 平板电脑或电脑从舒适和安全的沙发. 电子书文件在租借期结束时过期，所以没有什么可以归还的.
Audiobook loans from public libraries work the same way. 图书馆与Overdrive和Bibliotheca等公司合作, in turn, 经纪人与出版商进行交易，使他们的书以音频和文本形式可供借阅.
Install Overdrive’s Libby app or Bibliotheca’s CloudLibrary 手机或平板电脑上的应用程序(或从图书馆主页访问电脑上的电子书目录). 输入你的借书证号码，你就可以通过点击几下来借书了.
Uncharted Territory
这篇文章可能会让人觉得我和我妻子已经解决了所有问题, but this is far from the case. We find ourselves in uncharted territory, which is scary. New problems and challenges are sure to crop up. 至少我们还有彼此，这让我感觉好多了.
