Coronavirus Changes Life In OC From Hoarding To Helping

ORANGE COUNTY, CA —In just 24-hours, the coronavirus upended everyday life across Orange County. This week was a barrage of bad news getting worse, as the nation realized the depth and breadth of the coronavirus worldwide pandemic. Local implications hit home, hard.

Sports fans watched championship basketball games send fans home, then cancel. March Madness turned into March sadness as a favored past time was put away until next year.

Disneyland shuttered the theme park for the remainder of the month. Knott's Berry Farm followed suit, Friday, announcing a plan to close their doors.

Locally, cities also canceled events and plans for groups of 250 or more. That left residents to look to their own stores and buy what they needed to ride out the COVID-19 storm until the end of the month, at least.

Living in earthquake country, Orange County residents should be prepared to shelter in place for 72 hours or more. The county, to a point, asked all to stay at or close to home until at least April 1st.

When you investigate your grocery aisles, water, non-perishable food items, prescription medicines, pet food, and batteries have been overlooked by a run on toilet paper that has left the majority of residents scratching their heads.

"It is easier to notice when people buy several packs of toilet paper, as it takes up so much shelf space," a Walmart Manager told Patch. "We restock every day, but it is the first thing to go."

This editor witnessed the above empty shelves at Walmart. Lines at Costco were long and shoppers were harried. Boxes of non-perishable items torn through like a tornado. Patch witnessed one woman wondering if they should purchase a case of spam.

Many Hawaiians would say "yes."

Store owners have pledged to restock daily during these uncertain days.

While shoppers in a frenzy, the Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer issued a statement Friday. He warned opportunistic store owners against price gouging during the quest to fill pantries.

"Merchants may not increase prices for necessities or services by more than 10 percent during a declared state of emergency unless they can prove costs have increased," Spitzer said.

Those who break the law could face up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $10,000.

Necessities covered under the law include: food, drinks, flashlights, radios, batteries, medical supplies, and hotel or motel stays.

The Orange County District Attorney's Office will "vigorously enforce price gouging laws in order to protect Orange County residents from any unscrupulous attempt to illegally profit from the coronavirus threat," Spitzer said.

"While I understand this situation has created a lot of uncertainty, exploiting the public's panic is not a defense to engaging in criminal activity," Spitzer said. "We will get past this at some point, and the Orange County District Attorney's Office will ensure that there will be accountability for those who break the law and prey on vulnerable victims."

On Friday, Orange County Healthcare announced the total of presumptive coronavirus cases has increased to 13, county officials say. There has been two cases of "person to person" contact, and one case of "community contact." Nine of the patients are men. Four are women. Countywide, 134 people have been tested since Jan. 25. In the county, there are kits to test 1,124 people.

The number of tests and testing services available is expected to grow dramatically in the coming weeks, thanks in part to Quest in San Juan Capistrano.

That agency has promised to provide daily updates about the status of the illness within our borders at 5 p.m. on the www.ochealthinfo.com website.

Officials have done what they can to slow the spread of potential contact with carriers or infected people, due to the length of the virus's incubation period.

Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do, has asked employers to allow employees to work from home if possible.

That may become increasingly important for working parents, given that the majority of school districts have opted to shut their doors and have students go remote.

Though a long break could affect districts financially, officials have promised a waiver from the state to be reimbursed. The planned spring break may offset some of that need.

Financial concerns are on the mind of many residents. Still promises to ease financial worry have been made by SoCal Gas, as well as Cox Communications. Those organizations have pledged to help keep the gas and internet running and even offer special pricing for the neediest of residents.

Orange County Board Chairwoman Michelle Steel said the coronavirus outbreak is "the biggest crisis the county has faced since the bankruptcy, but this is worse," because it involves the health and safety of residents, instead of just a financial issue.

A new study from USC researchers says many people in the United States are changing their daily behaviors in light of the coronavirus pandemic, with many experiencing economic anxiety while anticipating that the crisis will get worse before it gets better.

Among the measures people are taking are increased hygiene, social distancing, and stockpiling food and water. Many people are worried about the prospect of having to work from home, according to the study, conducted by the USC Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research and the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics.

"The coronavirus is both a health threat and an economic threat," said USC professor Daniel Bennett, a research assistant professor of economics at the Dornsife Center. "The social distancing measures that are needed to limit transmission will also cause a lot of hardship. Many people do not feel that they can work remotely."

The results show that 12 percent of people said there was a relatively high (greater than 25 percent) chance they could lose their job, while 18 percent said there was a relatively high chance they could run out of money.

Of those with jobs, 59 percent said they would have difficulty working from home.
When asked what they have been doing in the last seven days to keep themselves safe from the coronavirus:

• 85 percent said they have been washing their hands or using hand sanitizer more frequently;
• 7 percent said they have worn a facemask;
• 61 percent of the sample reported engaging in various forms of social distancing; the most common strategy (practiced by 45 percent of people) was to avoid contact with high-risk people;
• 25 percent say they have avoided restaurants in general and 18 percent say they have specifically avoided Chinese restaurants;
• 6 percent say they have canceled or postponed a medical appointment;
• 50 percent say they have prayed;
• 22 percent say they have been stockpiling food and water.

"It looks like most people are taking some action," said Bruine de Bruin, a USC Provost professor of public policy, psychology, and behavioral science. "But not everyone is reporting that they are stepping up handwashing, which seems like a potential concern unless they were already perfect at handwashing."

The preliminary survey was conducted from March 10-12 and is a sample of 2,436 U.S. residents.

In Orange County, Disneyland Resort decided to donate their excess food stores, making a large food donation to the Second Harvest Food Bank, which is still in need of donations, according to a spokesperson.

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City News Service and Patch Staffer Ashley Ludwig contributed to this report.