My wife and I are both over 50. Our moms are in their 90s.
We are preparing to lose one or both this year as they are both social butterflies and will almost certainly catch this.
Both my wife and I will probably get sick. We are taking steps to ensure our wills are up to date. Neither of us are likely to die but why risk probate?
We live in snow country and March is the beginning of peak snow season. 90% chance of snow today. We have plenty in the freezer/pantry to last for weeks. We are stocking up on Gatorade and cold remedies to fight the symptoms so we can be comfortable while sick.
I plan to order out while I can. DoorDash has opened up 138 local restaurants to me via delivery. These are places that didn't deliver but now with DoorDash do deliver. DoorDash employs the people likely to be hardest hit, gig economy with no health insurance, and they deliver food in a plastic bag.
IMO delivery is the best option for local restaurants as the hospitality sector is going to be hit hard by this. Support your local restaurants while you can. They are going to need it.
I plan to put a table out for DoorDash to put the food on and pay everything via credit card so there is no personal interaction. This way they can keep working and our restaurants can keep cooking even though their dining rooms are empty. We will take precautions handling food bags and mail and Amazon deliveries, but IMO it is critical to keep those economies afloat during this time.
The biggest challenge will be to keep people from becoming desperate. The real issue won't be the virus. It will be breakdowns in society as government resources are wiped out. Slowing the virus down will help prevent jams at the hospitals. Keeping the economy working will prevent people from panicking over finances and help the police and local businesses prevent panic.
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.” ― Frank Herbert,
Dune