From barren grocery stores to reckless spring breakers, it seems teens and adults are reacting incorrectly to COVID-19. Adolescents and adults either seem to overreact to the pandemic or treat it as if it’s another version of the flu or common cold. America needs to find its own “Goldilocks” approach to COVID-19 by finding a middle ground in handling this pandemic.
Many people would say their increased spending is disaster preparedness, but in actuality, it’s simply panic buying. Though it’s not as if everyone is trying to empty out grocery stores for their own sake. Psychologically, it stems from a way to combat anxiety coming from insecurity and fear of the unknown.
“Panic buying is fueled by anxiety and a willingness to go to lengths to quell those fears: like queueing for hours or buying way more than you need,“ as reported by BBC.
People may become fearful when they believe a product will be unavailable in the near future, and thus, panic buy. “Researchers find that people will stockpile a product for future consumption if the price is artificially low or if they feel uncertain about being able to get the product,” according to Psychology Today.
This leads to product shortages, leaving low-income families and individuals with empty shelves.
Furthermore, panic shopping creates an economic shift called the “bullwhip effect.” The bullwhip effect is a “whiplash-like effect from the global supply chain that makes it difficult to stock the shelves fast enough to keep up with a sudden high demand level,” according to GlobalEdge.
While it is good to be prepared, the overconsumption of products makes it harder for others to adapt to the rapid changes of COVID-19, leaving a population of people without resources.
On the flip side, there are individuals who refuse to take COVID-19 seriously. For instance, Florida teens continued their spring break beach plans on the week of March 18, as reported by MSNBC news, and a Tampa pastor continued to hold Sunday service and is now charged with unlawful assembly.
COVID-19 in some cases has been labeled as a virus that will only affect the old or immunocompromised, but recent studies show that it can still drastically inflict youth and fully grown adults as well.
While it is minimal, young people face mortality rates due to COVID-19, as shown in “Young adults can face severe cases of COVID-19, too,” published March 19 by ScienceNews.
As for middle-age adults at the peak of health, statistics show them to have similar hospitalization rates to youth, but they do have more instances of mortality. For example, “Ghazarian, a 34-year-old who lived near Los Angeles, died from COVID-19 after five days on a ventilator. He was a cancer survivor. People with past health problems and compromised immune systems are more at risk,” as reported by Vox.
COVID-19 is a serious illness, and everyone should be cautious, but that does not mean people should go overboard. While self-isolation and quarantine does mean to stay indoors, it does not restrict people from getting groceries when needed. People need to buy groceries as they would normally — and maybe a little extra — but they should never grossly overbuy product.
Everyone, regardless of age, needs to take this virus seriously and consider the health of themselves and the people around them. Buying only the necessities allows everyone to partake in needed goods. Moreover, staying indoors and learning a new hobby, like singing, exercising or reading, allows for everyone to be healthy, especially those who have weaker immune systems.
With the Trump administration now ordering another 30 extra days of quarantine, America can find a just-right approach to reacting to this pandemic. So stay home, buy cautiously — not callously — and above all, stay safe.
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Email: Anitiz Muonagolu: aj.muonagolu@pepperdine.edu
