All over the world, people are in quarantine at their homes due to Covid19, a coronavirus that has infected tens of thousands. Some are in quarantine voluntarily – either they've recently returned from a place where the virus is widespread or they feel that social distancing is a good idea for them. Others are in mandatory quarantines enforced by local governments.

Either way, the basics are the same. I've gotten lots of questions about preparing for the possibility of a quarantine, so I wanted to address the basics. This article is written with the non-prepper in mind, so if you're new to the preparedness world, you're in the right place. This is a very basic primer. If you want to get more into the specifics of preparing for this particular virus and outbreak, check out this book.

What is quarantine?

First things first, we'll go over some of the rules of quarantine.

The main rule is, nobody comes in and nobody goes out. If you are in quarantine, you are distancing yourself from people aside from the ones in quarantine with you, like your family or roommates. The reason for this is to stop the spread of an illness or possible illness.

Either…

You have it and you don't want others to get it

You've been exposed to it and don't know if you have it but you don't want to spread it in case you do

You want to avoid catching the illness and you don't know who has it so you're staying away from everyone to avoid exposure

You are under mandatory quarantine – the government has told you and possibly everyone else to stay home under penalty of law

It doesn't really matter which of these reasons you're in quarantine. The basics are the same.

Whatever supplies you start your quarantine period with will need to last you throughout the length of time you are unable to leave your home.

What supplies do you need to stock up on for a quarantine?

Let's start with a very basic list and then I'll go into more detail further on in the article. Imagine that right this minute, you had to stay home for a month. What would you need that you don't already have?

Food

Water

Medications

Personal hygiene items

Sanitation and cleaning supplies

Pet supplies

Special needs supplies (for babies or elderly family members, for example)

Entertainment