(Updated 5/4/2026. This was first posted in November 2020 during the worst of the pandemic. While that crisis is considered over, this information remains pertinent. Another pandemic will occur and be considerably worse than the one in 2020. Be prepared!)

In the last week, the media has been reporting the certainty of another lockdown occurring in the next 3-4 months. While we may want to call foul and stomp our feet, this is certainly not the time to be unprepared for the possibility. While news reports have been calling for at least 4-6 weeks of lockdown, with the possibility it could last longer, we can start (if you haven’t already) preparing for this possibility.

We don’t know how locked down we will be, since that information hasn’t been released yet. However, we can look at other countries around the globe to know what could happen. While most states have already undergone some form of lockdown, the rules have varied widely from state to state. With the possibility of a national lockdown, we can expect the rules to be stricter and to be based on very different reasoning than a state’s rules. 

(Yes, I realize some of you haven’t come out of the first lockdown yet. Some of you have not experienced a lockdown yet. However you look at it, we need to be prepared for the possibility of a lockdown.)

You can expect the scope of consideration for who will be essential workers to change significantly. The restrictions will be tighter and may not be lifted until a vaccine is issued. Travel papers will most likely be issued to anyone considered an essential worker. “Unnecessary service industries” will be stricter and fewer people will be working. More people than ever will be working from home.

You should be preparing for at least 4-6 weeks at home. A safer bet would be to prepare for 8-12 weeks of being at home. With travel likely to be severely restricted, you should consider several things. There could be supply disruptions from fewer people working. Items may be considered essential or nonessential and may not be available for purchase. 

1. Having food for at least 4-6 weeks stockpiled at home. This will be the minimum you need to have stockpiled. Even though online retailers should still be shipping, relying on them to deliver in a timely manner should not be a given. At the beginning of this pandemic, online retailers were shipping very slowly or not at all. 

Another consideration is that we don’t know how this will impact grocery stores. Online delivery may still happen, as well as Instacart and grocery pickup. However, this is also not a given and you should still have several weeks of groceries at home. 

This should include: 

• a full freezer of meat
• frozen vegetables and fruits
• canned vegetables and fruits
• rice and/or potatoes 
• canned and/or dried beans
• oil (olive, coconut, vegetable, etc.)
• canned meat
• salt, pepper, spices, and herbs 
• canned soups and broths
• pasta and pasta sauce
• macaroni and cheese, as well as other boxed mixes
• baking supplies
• dried non-instant milk
• butter or margarine
• coffee and tea
• whatever your family likes to eat

2. Having non-food items stockpiled for at least 8-12 weeks. While food may be easier to obtain during this lockdown, non-food items may not be available. Many states had determined what was essential and nonessential to purchase during the first lockdown. The national government may or may not be doing the same thing. While you would think that some things would still be essential, there is no guarantee of what the powers that be will think of as essential.

You should be stocking up on:

• pet food and livestock feed
• baby items (formula, diapers, wipes, baby food)
• sanitary items for women (pads and tampons)
• paper products (stocking, not hoarding)
• shampoo and conditioner
• soap (laundry, dishes, body, hand, and more)
• disinfecting wipes
• hand sanitizer
• toothbrushes and toothpaste, floss, mouthwash
• cold and influenza medicines
• vitamins and herbal supplements
• batteries
• clothing needs
• Any gifts for birthdays or holidays that may occur during that time
• extra office supplies for online schooling and work
• anything else you use and will need

3. Get any vehicle maintenance done. While we don’t know what this lockdown could affect, worrying about your vehicle if you need to go places should be on this list. You should have your oil changed. You should replace your wipers if you haven’t done so in the last six months. Now may be a good time to replace your tires. You should also keep your fuel tank full. You may also want to purchase some Sta-Bil to keep your gas from going stale while your vehicle sits.  While you may not be traveling much, having a reliable vehicle is still important, as you may still need to go places. 

4. Prepare your home for everyone to be home. If you think about the last lockdown, what made that better? Making sure everyone has their own space to work and relax can help reduce overall stress. Also, making sure everyone has what they need to work and play can go a long way toward creating a peaceful environment. I would also recommend that you post schedules for when work meetings and school calls take place. This will keep everyone aware of what is going on. With everyone home, you may also want to start a chore list with assigned chores to keep the house tidy. 

Related Post: 10 Ways To Cope With Isolation, Quarantines, and Extended Power Outages

5. Increase your Wi-Fi signal in your home. With everyone at home, you will certainly have increased strain on your current Wi-Fi signal. Consider getting a Wi-Fi booster, like the Google Nest or Netgear Essentials Wi-Fi Range Extender, to help everyone get better internet connectivity. If you haven’t already, now would be a good time to increase your internet speed to meet the demands of the load it may have to handle. 

6. Purchase supplies if you have an online or home business. If you are already working from home, you know what supplies you need to keep your business running. Whether you make things for Etsy, sell on eBay, run an office, or whatever you do from home, you will need supplies that may be considered nonessential or may not even be in supply to purchase. You should take the time now to purchase anything you may need to keep your home or online business running during the lockdown. This should also include printer ink, paper, padded mailers, boxes, packing tape, bubble wrap, and scissors. 

7. Take care of any home maintenance. Do you have some things around the house that need to be fixed, painted, or just need attention? Now is the time to get those supplies, call the repair people, and get those things done. You may not be able to go to the local building supply store to get what you need. You may also be unable to call a repair person for 3-4 months, so get those appliances in good working order now.

8. Increase your home security. Desperate times will bring out the desperate people. Now is the time to make sure your home and outbuildings are secure. You may want to purchase a weapon and ammunition. You may want to put up alarms around your home and property. You may want to add extra lighting around your property. You may want to put up game cameras in areas you can’t see from your home. You will want to practice OPSEC and avoid talking about what you have. You don’t want to brag about what you have all purchased and then wonder why you are having trouble. 

9. Be prepared to share and help out your family and neighbors. Another lockdown can produce hard times for everyone. Helping someone in need is the right thing to do. While you may not want to help, you should remember that you would want someone to help you in your time of need. 

10. Increase your self-sufficiency. What can you do for yourself? What can you grow in your home? What can you do to reduce food waste? What can you make from scratch? How far can you stretch a meal, a bottle of soap, and more? What can you reuse again? What can you fix or mend? The list goes on, but doing what you can for you and your family will help extend your resources and ease your budget a little. 

While I hope these tips help to get prepared, it is time for real talk. Some of you are going to kick back at me hard and say this lockdown isn’t going to happen for a variety of reasons. I hope you are right. Really, I do. However…

I would rather be prepared and ready for it, with nothing happening, than be caught unaware. 

The fact is that we live in uncertain times, with an uncertain political and social climate. Anything can happen, including a lockdown. One political party is calling for a lockdown and plans to implement it if it gets the power to do so. The other political party has not really said one way or the other whether they will. If the numbers get bad enough, either party will be forced/pressured to implement a lockdown. Despite what we want, we will have to deal with the consequences. 

The only natural thing to do is to be prepared. That prepping includes this, too.

Thanks for reading,
Erica

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Check out these books also to help you be more prepared for the future!

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