LOL! We were warned of what the problem was, and how bad it might get.
We got advice on sanitation, hand sanitizers, vaccines, handwashing, handshaking, cleaning phone handpieces and other stuff that would mitigate a pandemic.
Then when the pandemic does not materialize, people assume that there was no threat, and much of it was a hoax.
What if the precautions worked?
What if the precautions worked?
Do you suppose precautions followed in the USA spared those in mainland China from a pandemic? I don't think so, but that's just me.
Well, the fortunes spent remediating computer systems and software apparently paid off for Y2K, as little went wrong. That did not mean that complacency and a complete lack of preparation would have had the same outcome.
I think heightened awareness of pathogen transfer in a culture where I have seen fast food workers absent-mindedly picking zits with those food-handling plastic gloves on (clueless!!) might be a good thing, anyway.
If you look at the river in late summer and decide not to build next to it bacause it might flood come spring, does that make you an alarmist? Nope.
As for preparation, having a full pantry and the means to survive come what may just might be prudent at any time.
I got laid off last June, and though money got tight, we were never without food.