Updated: Prepping for an Ebola Lockdown

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By Daisy Luther

Note from Daisy, Oct. 2:

When I first wrote this article, Ebola was a distant threat in a few little countries on the other side of the globe. But, now it’s here, in America. Not only are there suspected cases and confirmed cases, there’s a note of hysteria in the news.  Many of the supplies I originally recommended have been sold out. So I’ve updated this article with some new information and some new resources so that you can find the supplies you need. I have added multiple sources for as many things as possible. I urge you not to panic, and to prepare calmly and methodically. If you’re new to preparedness, this may feel very overwhelming. Pay special attention to the recommended books in that case, because they’ll guide you through this situation and many others.  If you’ve been doing this for a while, realize you probably already have most of what you need. Your focus should be on topping up your supplies, and being watchful. The most important thing you can do is to remain focused and purposeful.

*****

Are you prepared to go into lockdown mode if the Ebola virus begins to spread across the country?

With something that displays itself as gruesomely as Ebola, with seizures and uncontrollable bleeding from every orifice, it’s unrealistic to think that a cover-up can last long.  If this continues to spread, there’s no way that the government can keep it under wraps.  This is NOT going to be easy to contain. The virus is spreading far more rapidly than it has in the past in West Africa, giving some people reason to believe it has mutated into something more easily transmissible.

This reminds me of that scene in the movie Contagion, where the CDC experts have their quiet, closed-door meetings and discuss preventing a panic. (If you haven’t seen that movie lately, I suggest you watch it, perhaps with your older children, to open the discussion of how pandemics can spread rapidly.)  In the movie, the officials seem almost more intent on keeping it quiet than they do on stopping the spread of the illness.

There are a lot of facts that are being kept quiet. The government seems really excited about producing an untested vaccine and jabbing us all with it. Because of this insistence on secrecy and the fact that you just can’t trust the government, you may not have a lot of warning before things get really bad. Consider this your warning. You need to be prepared to go into family lockdown mode for at least six weeks. Incidentally, this begs the question of why our government has not gone into a similar lockdown mode, instead of opening the floodgates for illegal immigrants and tourists from other countries during a global health crisis. (Here’s why I won’t be lining up to get an Ebola vaccine.)

How do you know when it’s time to go into lockdown?

Avoiding contact with people who have the illness is the only way to prevent getting it. Isolating yourselves is the best way to stay safe and healthy.

This is the tricky part: How do you know that the time has come to get the family inside and lock the doors behind you? Lizzie Bennett, a retired medical professional, wrote an incredibly helpful article over on her website Underground Medic.  Definitely take the time to read the entire thing HERE, because this is one of the most blunt, honest things you will read from a person who worked in this field.  Bennett recommends social distancing as the only effective way to protect yourself and your family from an outbreak of disease.

How long you should remain isolated depends primarily on where you live. For those in towns and cities it will be for much longer than those living in rural retreats where human contact is minimal. Though those fortunate enough to live in such surroundings should remember that if the situation is dire enough, people will leave the cities looking for safety in less populated areas. In large centres of population there will be more people moving around, legally or otherwise, each of these individuals represents a possible uptick in the disease rates, allowing the spread to continue longer than it would have they stayed indoors and/or out of circulation. Even when the initial phase is on the wane, or has passed through an area, people travelling into that area can bring it back with them triggering a second wave of disease as people are now emerging from their isolation…

One hundred miles is my buffer zone for disease, of course it could already be in my city, but practicalities dictate that I will not stay away from people because hundreds in Europe are dropping like flies. Maps of disease spread look like a locust swarm moving across the country and this allows disease spread to be tracked on an hour by hour basis. One of the few instances where mainstream media will be useful. (source)

Once you’ve gone into lockdown, how long you must stay there is dependent on the spread of the illness. Times will vary.  Bennett suggests these guidelines:

Once the doors were locked we would stay there for at least two weeks after the last case within 100 miles is reported. A government all clear would be weighed against how long it had been since the last case was reported in the area I have designated as my buffer zone. There is of course still the chance that someone from outside the area will bring the disease in with them causing a second wave of illness. You cannot seal off cities to prevent this. Going out after self-imposed isolation should be kept to a minimum for as long as possible, and if you don’t have to, then don’t do it. Far better to let those that are comfortable being out and about get on with it and see if any new cases emerge before exposing yourself and your family to that possibility. (source)

What does it mean to go into lockdown?

This Ebola thing could go bad in a hurry. And by bad I mean that it has killed well over half of the people who’ve contracted it in West Africa. Not only do we have the possibility of Ebola to contend with, but several varieties of plague are also on the uptick over the past couple of months, something that has been put on the back burner due to the fear of Ebola. A city in China was locked down last week due to the Bubonic Plague and the Black Plague caused one man to die and 3 more people to become ill in Colorado last month.

If the situation hits close enough to home that you decide to go it’s time to isolate yourselves, the rules to this are intractable.

No one goes out. No one comes in.

I know this sounds harsh, but there are to be no exceptions. If you make exceptions, you might as well go wrestle with runny-nosed strangers at the local Wal-Mart and then come home and hug your children, because it’s the same thing.

Once you have gone into lockdown mode, that means that the supplies you have on hand are the supplies you have to see you through.  You can’t run out to the store and get something you’ve forgotten.

That means if a family member shows up, they have to go into quarantine for at least 4 weeks, during which time they are not allowed access to the home or family, nor are they allowed to go out in public.  Set up an area on your property that is far from your home for them to hang out for their month of quarantine. If at the end of the month they are presenting no symptoms, then they can come in.

It sadly means that you may be forced to turn someone away if they are ill, because to help them means to risk your family.

Now is the time to plan with your preparedness group how you intend to handle the situation. Will you shelter together, in the same location, and reserve a secondary location to retreat to if the situation worsens further or if someone becomes ill? Will you shelter separately because of the nature of the emergency?  Decide together on what event and proximity will trigger you to go into lockdown mode. Make your plan and stick to it, regardless of pressure from those who think you are over-reacting, the school that your children have stopped attending, and any other external influences. If you’ve decided that there is a great enough risk that you need to go into lockdown, you must adhere to your plan.

Prepare an isolation area.

In the event that a member of your group becomes ill, they need to immediately be quarantined from the rest of the group. By the time they’re showing symptoms, it could be too late to prevent the spread of illness but effort should still be taken to isolate them.

Here are some tips on isolating a patient.

  • The sick room should be sealed off from the rest of the house.  Use a heavy tarp over the doorway to the room on the inside and the outside. This will make a small breezeway for the caretaker to go in and out.
  • The caretaker should cover up with disposable clothing, gloves, shoe covers, and hair covers.
  • The caretaker should wear an N95 mask.
  • The sick person should use disposable dishes and cutlery.  All garbage from the sick room should be placed in a heavy garbage bag and burned outdoors immediately.
  • The sick person should not leave the room.  If there is not a bedroom with a connected bathroom, a bathroom setup should be created within the room.  Great care must be taken with the disposal of this waste.

You can learn more about preparing a sick room HERE.

Do you have the supplies you need to weather a pandemic?

It’s time to do a last minute check of your preps because by the time a general quarantine is announced in your area or you hear the mainstream suggesting that people should stay home, it will be too late to get the rest of your supplies. As well, at that point, the path of the pandemic will have progressed so much it will be unsafe to do so.

You need to be prepared to go into family lockdown mode for a minimum of 6 weeks should things get bad in your area, and preferably longer than that in the event that this takes a long time to contain.  It’s most likely that services such as public water and electricity will remain intact, but you should prepare as though they won’t be, just in case.

Here’s a quick checklist along with some links to resources.  Base amounts on the number of family members you’ll be sheltering.

Note – we do not commonly use anti-bacterial products but in a situation like this, it’s important to have this type of thing on hand, particularly in the event that there are issues with sanitation

Related:


Here’s why I won’t be lining up to get an Ebola vaccine

Here’s why you should NOT panic over Ebola

Books and Reference Materials:


Ebola Survival Handbook: A Collection of Tips, Strategies, and Supply Lists From Some of the World’s Best Preparedness Professionals

The Prepper’s Blueprint: The Step-By-Step Guide To Help You Through Any Disaster

The Pantry Primer: How to Build a One Year Food Supply in Three Months

Sealing Yourself In: Prepping for Bioterrorism, Chemical Disasters, and Pandemics (The NEW Survival Prepper Guides Book 3)

“Like” Pandemic Watch on Facebook

Daisy Luther

Daisy Luther

Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites.  1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty on her website, 2)  The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived, and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. She is widely republished across alternative media and  Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses. You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.

Leave a Reply

  • Good article! Is the ebola virus airborne or not? Why all the worry about a face mask etc., if it is only transmitted by bodily fluids? Is there any definitive scientific proof either way? Why did the usgov order hazmat suits for this?
    Tom

    • There are many unanswered questions. To me, the biggest problem is the blatant ignoring of medical protocol. Even first year nursing students would know better. Schlep people all over the globe (and from what I can gather, mostly to western nations) with a contagion? Who controls the situation? Who benefits? Very sick. I pray that it is a PsyOp, because preventive measures do not always work.

        • Ebola is a virus. Your anti bacterial wipes, sanitizers and cleaners won’t work…Get the Clorox bleach wipes instead..Also boost your immune system..Get Echinacea, Black Elderberry, VitaminD3, Cat’s Claw. Also essential oils. Oregano Oil and Tea Tree oils..

    • It’s aerosol transmitted now. That means a carrier can cough and/or sneeze on you or near you. The droplets can infect you or can land on something you touch and rub in your eye, nose, mouth, or an opening in the skin. However, a virus can mutate and they usually do. It can change it’s mode of transmission or virulence factor. It very well may be airborne but the govt. can be in denial. M Mason RN

  • We have a gas stove that does us very well. If you can’t heat things you can always eat things from the can like beans, tuna, dried soup with water etc.

  • Regarding the list, we cannot forget that it is not enough to have the items on the list–we must know how to properly take the items off once exposed to a virus or bacteria. If the suit and gloves are not taken off properly, one will accidentally contaminate themselves and their loved ones. Same goes for hand-washing: technique, technique, technique!

  • Sale tip…

    Purell Advanced hand sanitizer in bonus 12 oz. size bottle available at Walmart for $2.47 each.

    (regular size is 8 oz.)

  • TY for all the awesome info! If ebola happens here, I’d rather rinse my just washed hands in bleach/water. I’ve heard hand sanitizers don’t kill all the bad stuff.

  • This is great info. However I must ask if everyone in your family is in lockdown who will pay the bills? My husband works construction and I highly doubt that if he took a six week break his job would be there later.

    • Hi Brook.

      I wish I had an answer to this. I don’t, though. I believe you’ll know if the situation becomes so dire that you have to take this course of action. When you work outside the home, when your kids go to school, when you have a regular day-to-day involvement that takes you out in the world, you have to be truly convinced that the threat outweighs the risk of losing your job or your children being considered truant.

      I know that this does not answer your question, and that’s because there IS no easy answer to this. I hope that when/if it’s time to take steps this drastic, the need to do so will be clear. I’m sorry that I don’t have better advice on this.

      Daisy

  • Does anyone really trust the CDC? Remember the 2009 Swine flu epidemic? Level 6 pandemic with tens of thousands of cases? Turns out it was under 25 confirmed cases of actual swine flu. It was so low the CDC had to redefine the word pandemic to fit their need. The then head of the CDC now works for Merck’s vaccine division. But the CDC and WHO sold over 25 million doses of vaccine for a virtually non-existent threat. These are the people using verifiably flawed tests to confirm there is an Ebola patient in the US. Think about that for a minute…

    Im not saying Ebola is fake but its certainly a too early to run in the streets screaming.

  • Great article, Daisy. Let me add some things that I have learned:
    Bathroom Useage>if someone is infected with Ebola, they cannot use a regular toilet. They must use biohazard disposal garbage bags. The virus can live for up to 6 days in your sanitation pipes, and it can live for up to 3 days on a toilet seat, bowl, etc.
    Any material from someone already infected> everything: sweat, body fluids, feces, urine, saliva, etc is infectious. NOTHING must be dismissed casually when caring for them. That means full contamination suits with SEALED seams, double gloves, full masque to protect all open orifices on the face and the ears. You must fully seal up a used “outfit” (Each outifit must be fully sealed in a biohazard bag) and have a new, unused “outfit” to don on your next care visit.
    I would suggest a lot of plastic tableware and utensils that are one use and can be sealed up afterwards.
    This is like the nightmare that keeps on giving. I also feel tha we are not going to get any help from the federal government. We will truly be on our own with our tribe. Again, thank you for speaking out early with help and advice!

  • daisy, for the eye goggles, do you change them every time you are around an infected person? or say you are isolated but have to go to town, do you throw all your protective gear away ? thanx

  • The CDC seems quite insane. First they allowed the Texas healthcare staff to return home every day after caring for the Ebola victim. Very risky business, as this virus has numerous unknowns and has a morbidity rate over 50%. They’re not even certain of the mode of transmission. Of course by nature, viruses mutate. They can mutate their mode of transmission and virulence factor easily. Secondly, after the patient died the healthcare staff was not isolated for 21 days. Of course not, they allowed them to go home every day!
    Now here’s the insane part. When the nurse spiked a fever did she call the CDC and then the CDC sent Hazmat workers in bio-safety level 4 suits and put her in an isolation bubble to transfer her to the hospital? No. What I read is that SHE WENT TO THE HOSPITAL AND ADMITTED HERSELF! She walked through a hospital carrying Ebola! As Gerald Celente says, “You just can’t make this stuff up!”
    The CDC is lying to the public. You CAN infect someone when you are asymptomatic.
    So how many family members may be infected now? Does the nurse have children? Did they return to their school infected? Are these students families at risk?
    Can the CDC be so stupid? I think no one could be so stupid!
    I smell a rat.
    MK Mason RN

  • So I am not a pepper but this has me scared seeing as I’m only 2 hours from Dallas, TX I have a question in cases of preparing and lock down what should my husband who works do I don’t want him to lose his job! and he only has 1 week of vacation time he can take and we live paycheck to paycheck!what do we do?

  • Sadly, the more evidence we see, the more it becomes apparent that this is an airborne virus. There was also research in Great Britain that said that this is so.

  • Any anxieties concerning the Ebola contagion will be forgotten, once everybody (kids and adults) become untouchable for Ebola and any other viruses like AIDS, Colds, Flues, SARS, EV-D68, TB, etc., by doing my WVD – The Weapon of Virus Destruction – Just an exercise for a minute a day – The most powerful and lethal response to Ebola virus on Earth – Any viruses are killed the moment they touch us – I will disclose my WVD to everyone, if the world pays me 50 billion EURO – Then everybody will be protected 100% from any viruses, bio-weapons (like Ebola and AIDS), any cancers, diabetes and strokes all the time.

  • I think this is helpful ,thnks… but I think their will be no lockdown, there is no possibility of it, because Ebola isn’t airborne. If it were most of us will be infected by now and millions of people will die, or be dead by now.

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